Your alpine climbing adventure starts in the town of Lone Pine, where you will meet your guide at a predetermined location and do a gear check. Afterwards you will take a 30-min drive to the Whitney Portal Trailhead. Hiking into the backcountry, you will later establish a camp at altitude of around 11,000 feet/3,350 meters. During the hike, your guide will hold informal lectures in order to prepare you for the next day’s climb.
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If you are an avid rock climber who wants to reach Mt Whitney while getting a 3-day introduction to alpine climbing, this option is for you. You will either get to the summit via the 5.6-graded East Face Route—one of the coveted 50 classic climbs of North America—or via the more demanding 5.8-graded East Buttress Route. They are both equally thrilling and challenging technical climbs—discuss which one would better fit your skills and needs with your guide!
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The second day of your adventure starts at around 4 am. This day you will reach the Mt Whitney Summit following either the East Buttress (graded at 5.8) or the East Face (graded at 5.6) climbing route. The ascent itself will take you up to 6 hours, but after a challenging technical climb, you’ll be rewarded by the best views of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Afterwards, you will return back to your basecamp via the Mountaineer’s Route in the late afternoon.
Please note, this is a best-case scenario. This itinerary is subject to change at the guide’s discretion and is dependent on mountain conditions, group experience/expectations, and other factors that cannot be anticipated. -
Get the last taste of the mountains in the morning, pack up and start your hike back. You will have returned to the trailhead around 2 pm. Say goodbye to your guide and Sierra Nevada or continue touring on your own.
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What you get on this adventure:
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- An experienced, local rock climbing guide with extensive knowledge of the area
- 3 or 4 alpine climbing days depending on your chosen itinerary
- All camping and climbing permits
- Helmet, harness and group climbing equipment
- Group camping equipment (tent, stove, water filter)
- Freeze-dried dinners for the Summer and Winter Ascents
- Breakfast items for all itineraries
- Hot drinks
What’s not included:
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- Transportation to and from Lone Pine
- Transportation to the trailhead (available on request)
- Accommodations before and after the trip
- Porter — available upon request
- Guide gratuities — optional
- Travel and medical insurance — optional
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For all three adventures listed above, you need to be in excellent physical shape.
For the Technical Alpine Climb, you need to have previous mountaineering experience and experience of multi-pitch rock climbing and climbing at high altitudes.
For the Summer Climb, a challenging alpine experience via the less-traveled Mountaineer’s Route is to be expected. It’s suitable for beginner mountaineers or intermediate backpackers, though it does involve steep off-trail hiking, scrambling, and sometimes the use of crampons and an ice ace. In the steep upper sections, you and your guide will use a rope and a harness for your protection.
For the Winter Alpine Climb, you need to be a seasoned mountaineer with previous ice axe, crampon, and rope handling skills. Prior winter climbing/backpacking experience is highly recommended! It’s also great if you’re familiar with avalanche rescue skills.
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Technical climbing equipment
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- Sit harness (can be provided by your guide)
- 3 large locking pear-shaped carabiners
- Rappel/belay device
- 2 double length nylon runners (36” minimum)
Camping equipment
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- Sleeping bag (rated 15 – 30 degrees, can be rented from your guide)
- Backpack (55-65 L or more)
- Sleeping pad (closed cell foam or air-filled)
- Personal tent (recommended for individual climbers)
- Small towel
- 3-one quart/liter wide mouth water containers (a hydration system such as Camelbak can substitute for up to two water containers)
- Plastic bowl (lightweight) and a spoon
- Swiss army knife (or small pocket knife)
- Headlamp (something to stick on your head so it leaves your hands free)
- Toiletries (hand sanitizer, toothbrush, toothpaste, insect repellent, toilet paper, wet wipes)
- Small first-aid kit (include personal medication, Ibuprofen or Naproxen, bandaids, blister kit)
- Sunblock (rated to SPF 25+), SPF chapstick
Clothing
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- Long pants (light-weight synthetic, no cotton!)
- T-shirt
- Light/medium weight synthetic long john top and a long john bottom
- Lightweight wool or fleece sweater or jacket and a windbreaker (can use a rain jacket)
- Lightweight wool or fleece gloves
- Sun hat or visor
- 2-3 pairs of wool socks and 2-3 pairs of wool/synthetic sock liners
- Gaiters are required when there is snow en route (when there is no snow we highly recommend low cut scree gaiters, gaiters can be rented)
- Good hiking boots (designed for hiking rough trails)
- Rock shoes (can be rented from your guide)
- Buff, bandana or neck gaiter
- Sunglasses
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Camping equipment
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- Sleeping bag (rated 15 – 30 degrees, can be rented from your guide)
- Backpack (55-65 L or more)
- Sleeping pad (closed cell foam or air-filled)
- Personal tent—recommended for individual climbers
- Small towel
- Swiss army knife (or small pocket knife) and a lighter
- Headlamp (something to stick on your head so it leaves your hands free)
- 3 1L wide-mouth water containers (a hydration system such as Camelbak can substitute for up to two water containers)
- Plastic bowl (lightweight) and a spoon
- Toiletries—hand sanitizer, toothbrush, toothpaste, insect repellent, toilet paper, wet wipes
- Small first-aid kit (include personal medication, Ibuprofen or Naproxen, bandaids, blister kit)
- Sunblock (rated to SPF 25+) and SPF chapstick
Clothing
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- Long pants (light-weight synthetic, no cotton!)
- T-shirts
- Light/medium weight synthetic long john top and a long john bottom
- Lightweight wool or fleece sweater or jacket and a windbreaker (can use a rain jacket)
- Lightweight wool or fleece gloves
- Sun hat or visor
- 2-3 pairs of wool socks and 2-3 pairs of wool/synthetic sock liners
- Gaiters are required when there is snow en route (when there is no snow we highly recommend low cut scree gaiters, gaiters can be rented)
- Good hiking boots (designed for hiking rough trails)
- Buff, bandana or neck gaiter
- Sunglasses
- Trekking poles—optional
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Technical climbing equipment
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- Sit Harness (this will be provided by your guide, bring your own if you want to!)
- Personal ice axe and a helmet (this will be provided by your guide, bring your own if you want to!)
- Ski poles/Trekking poles—recommended (ex. Black Diamond flicklock adjustable poles)
- Mountaineering boots – modern leather hybrid (ex: LaSportiva Nepal Evo GTX) or plastic double boots (ex: Scarpa Inverno)
- Snowshoes (can be rented)
- Crampons—12 point hinged or semi-rigid crampons or (Ex: Black Diamond Sabertooth or contact crampons, can be rented from your guide)
Camping equipment
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- Sleeping Bag (rated to 0-10 °F, or -10 to -15 °C)
- Full-length sleeping pad
- Internal frame pack (60-80 liter packs)
- Toiletries—hand sanitizer, sunblock (rated to SPF 25+), chapstick, toothbrush, toothpaste, insect repellent, toilet paper, wet wipes
- Swiss army knife (or small pocket knife), headlamp (something to stick on your head so it leaves your hands free), lighter
- Nylon stuff sacks for gear organization (enough for all equipment)
- 3 1-liter, wide-mouth water containers
- Swiss army knife or small pocket knife
- Good quality mountaineering sunglasses with side shields
- Ski or snowboarding goggles
- Insulated cup, spoon, small plastic bowl (lightweight)
- Sunhat
- Headlamp (Ex: Black Diamond Spot)
- Small first aid kit with personal medicines
- Foam ear plugs
- Sports drink
Clothing
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- Synthetic base layer or wool long john top and bottoms (lightweight to mid-weight)
- Fleece jacket
- Down jacket (ex. Millet Alpine Down)
- Extra synthetic top (expedition weight recommended) or fleece sweater, wool shirt, or an equivalent
- Medium weight synthetic running tights or light fleece pants or synthetic pants
- Bibs or full-zip Gore Tex pants
- 3-4 pairs wool or thermal heavyweight socks and liner socks – no cotton
- Wool or synthetic liner gloves (Ex: Black Diamond liner gloves)
- Wool or pile hat (a lightweight balaclava is a very good idea for sleeping comfort)
- Buff, bandana or neck gaiter
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Yes! Porters are available per request, but you need to let us know in advance.
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Group sizes and prices:
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- The usual client-to-guide for the Summer Ascent is 4:1. Max. client-to-guide ratio for the Technical Climb is 2:1 and 3:1 for the Winter Alpine Climbing.
- The cost per person for the Technical Climb decreases as the group grows..
- For the Summer Ascent via Mountaineer’s Route and the Winter Ascent, the cost does not decrease as the group grows.
Alpine climbing on Mt Whitney can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
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- If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
- Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to join the hike on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.
If your group has climbers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
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To get to Lone Pine,where your adventure starts, most people fly into Los Angeles International Airport, just over 3 hours away. From there, you can rent a car or take a shuttle service.
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, usually at the guide shop in Lone Pine, CA. Once you meet, you can discuss transportation to the trailhead. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.
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We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both medical and travel protection. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, simply choose Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner!
Redpoint tailors their protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations. Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
Once your booking is confirmed and your trip is paid in full, you will be offered to purchase Redpoint’s protection. If you need any help or require more information, let us know and we will be happy to help!
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