The California 14ers: Mount Whitney Mountaineer's Route | Winter | Traverse | Final 400 Descent 

That means a lot, sf. Agreed - editing isn't easy (especially for us amateurs), but it's all so worth if these videos are helpful for a few people. You're very welcome. And for the Mountaineer's Route, yeah it's not easy, but totally doable!

That's awesome to hear, Ryan. Thanks!

Hi Woody, no I haven't been on that gully before. Luckily though, we're able to see most of it (if not all if it) from above. It did look steep but ended up doable. It is a great route and the way to go if one has the energy! Glad your trip went smooth

Mountaineers route is scary right at the last hour

Thanks man! I hope you enjoyed the video

A great adventure 😊

It is a pretty big drop, must be even scarier at night.. Is there no other way around during the summer? I went up this way in late 2016 and don't remember the ledges at all.

@@outerskirtshiking8141 when I was there it was really dense forest at the end of the small valley and a stream running on the left. The trail kinda forced you to the right and up to the ridges. I haven't heard of just heading straight ahead like you did but if I can then I am doing it next time. Seems way safer. The ridges were narrow enough and enough loose granite on top to make me sweat

@@wsharp23 Dang, I'm really pondering about whether I used it or not. Looking at a picture now, I may have but just don't remember. If I remember another way up or come across one, I'll definitely get back to you about it

@@outerskirtshiking8141 I have a fondness for the ledges. They're not nearly as difficult as the rest of the MR, there are just some places where it's important to go up a level. I have a web page on it but I can't post links here.

If you need insight, Doug Sr. at the Portal store is a great resource.

I'm glad; thanks for watching! I saw your recent Mt. Rainier clip of the crevasse crossing. Which route were you on?

@@outerskirtshiking8141 I was on the standard route, Disappointment Cleaver.

@@J1997 I see. Crossing those planks must be pretty exciting

Glad you enjoyed! Whitney portal is at 8374ft, making it roughly 6131ft of elevation gain + the ups and downs. I believe HW120 (Yosemite) and HW108 (Stanislaus) were closed - the GPS brought me through HW 88 (El Dorado). The last question is a bit difficult to answer.. If you're talking about fitness - Normally, I exercise "here and there", and then do a decent amount of endurance training at least a week before a big trip, then just suffer through what I wasn't prepared for. This is probably the minimum and not the best way to do things; I'm just able to get by. But for more serious trips, such as Mt. Ranier, I'm giving the training much more attention. For acclimatization - On the way driving through the sierra, I took a nap on highway 88 for about 3 hours, it may have been 7-8k feet. After stopping in Bishop and Lone Pine, I slept at ~7800ft at the second gate for Whitney for about 5 hours, before starting on the trip. Hope this helps a bit.

@@outerskirtshiking8141 thank a bunch for the info - your tour really inspires - probably now is the time to go for it - before the quota and restrictions come in effect

@@kalimachios My pleasure! Noth Fork of Lone Pine Creek permits are easier to get than the main Whitney trail permits, but yes before May makes it simple :) Good luck!

Thank you, Matthew! In this 14er series, it started off carrying a Panasonic G85 with the kit lens + a 24mm, but as trips became more demanding (more climbing / day hikes), I've used an iPhone SE2. It also has 4k 30fps which looks great and is so much lighter. Obviously the DSLR is more versatile and will still have it's place but, it's nice not carrying it :) Also, I always bring a gopro (7, now 8) for action shots, but they haven't always been reliable in the heavily cold wind. Extra batteries, kept warm (left in chest pocket) are a must and even then, if it's cold, gotta be mindful of how fast it'll die and use the batteries accordingly. Hope this helps!

Also extra info - I chose the G85 because it has 4k, is smaller than others (Micro four thirds) and is weatherproof. Cheers

The MR route can either be a class 3 or 4 scramble or a mixed route depending on how much snow is in the gully and how you ascend to the top. But don’t let a non-YDS 5 grade fool you: people still die on the MR under class 3 conditions.

@@hodad924 Thank you!

Hah! Yes thankfully that door was there. 🙏 Denali - would be amazing at some point. How about you? In the near future - Ranier

@@outerskirtshiking8141 Oh yeah Rainier would be cool. Since I'm not very experienced I think I'd want a guide. Not too fond of crevasses. Did you ever practice self arresting in the snow?

@@xxuncexx Ah, crevasses are new for both of us. The gf and I have done one practice session with Petzl rescue kits - arresting the other climber's fall, transferring the weight, pulling the other up (3:1 / Z-Pulley). (Only on a steep snow bank, haven't had the chance to try on something hanging like a crevasse edge yet). It'll take more practice to solidify the knowledge and learn other techniques but, I believe it's doable. Of course, going with an experienced guide will be the best bet though =) Just fyi - glacier travel safety skills are essential for the main/popular Disappointment Cleaver route, but the Success Cleaver route involves little to no glacier travel, which I read is one of the safer routes to solo (Was considering this). I believe it's one of the two-or-so non glaciated routes on the mountain. It's just much longer, more elevation gain, and more remote.

@@outerskirtshiking8141 Well I suppose the route you choose depends on your priorities. Success Cleaver, save money, get to the top, but less glacier practice. You could do that, then the next day go do the Disappointment Cleaver route just to find a crevasse to practice on. Then you don't need to pay a guide. That's good you and lady got some training together. Very important to know what to do and how to do it if the worst happens. Reminds me of motorcycle riding. Practice evasive maneuvers so when the time comes it's muscle memory and you don't freeze. Also practicing safe riding so hopefully that time doesn't come. If the stars align I hope to get some repetitions in myself with some mates before the snow goes away. Good luck!

@@xxuncexx Thanks man. -In case you're interested in getting a bigger party going, I'm open to chatting about it, @YouArdeeKnow on IG. We're set for late May. Cheers

That's very much appreciated.. Thank you!

Hi Neil, yes this was a quickie solo trip squezed into the weekend. Thanks for watching!

Thank you for watching and for the feedback, Tony! I'll keep that in mind on the next trip. Just FYI - 2 upcoming videos (Split Mountain & Middle Palisade) will be from last September :)

@@outerskirtshiking8141 looking forward to it. Will do several 14ers this summer, Split is the first one. Like to see your plan.

@@tonyhe001 Awesome, Tony. All the power and safe trekking to you 🤙 Aiming to get the Split video out this week

@@outerskirtshiking8141 sorry, one more question, why didn’t you go up but went down from the class 3 400ft section? It doesn’t make sense to me

@@tonyhe001 I was just too tired - didn't eat enough, and half way up to the notch, it got really cold with the wind coming over the top. I didn't want to stop and put another layer on, so that zapped more energy from me 🙃