Tragedy on Mt. Whitney: Hiker’s Death Highlights Dangers of Winter Climbing
The return of snow to Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the continental United States, has already claimed a life, with a hiker falling victim to the treacherous conditions on the notorious “99 Switchbacks” section of the main trail. According to Lindsey Stine, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Inyo County Sheriff’s Department, the hiker fell in this steep and winding section, which begins just above Trail Camp at almost 12,000 feet.
In the summer, the switchbacks are a challenging but manageable section of the trail, winding back and forth up two miles and nearly 2,000 vertical feet. However, when snow covers the trail, as it did earlier this month, the slope becomes perilously steep, making every step a potentially deadly one. Wes Ostgaard, an experienced hiker who has climbed Mt. Whitney four times, posted on Facebook that conditions on Saturday were so treacherous he and his climbing partners decided to turn around.
Witness Accounts and Warning Signs
Ostgaard described the conditions as “extremely intense,” with winds blasting snow in their faces, making it difficult to see and navigate the trail. The snow covered the trail, rendering it “invisible” in many places, and Ostgaard and his companions encountered the body of another hiker who had apparently fallen above a section of steel safety cables and slid another 70 feet. Ostgaard used Starlink to contact his father, who then contacted emergency services, and a helicopter arrived about four hours later.
Another hiker, Kirill Novitskiy, encountered the same conditions on the switchbacks on Saturday but made the “wrong decision” to keep climbing with only microspikes, which are little metal cleats that attach to the bottom of shoes and provide winter traction on flat ground. However, microspikes are notoriously inadequate for winter mountaineering, where a fall could be fatal. Novitskiy wrote on Facebook that he had a couple of dangerous places where the trail became a slope full of powdery snow, and it was very easy to slip off.
Expert Advice and Safety Precautions
Experts advise that anyone attempting to climb Mt. Whitney in the winter season should bring crampons, which are much larger spikes that attach firmly to mountaineering boots and dig deep into snow and ice to prevent falls, and an ice axe. Traveling in groups and bringing a satellite communication device to contact help if anything goes wrong are also essential safety precautions. The Inyo Sheriff’s Department has not released the identity of the hiker who died, but the incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of winter climbing on Mt. Whitney.
In January this year, a hiker from Texas died after attempting to climb Mt. Whitney in bad weather, and in June, a 14-year-old hiker became delirious on Mt. Whitney and fell off a 12,000-foot cliff, but survived. These incidents highlight the importance of being prepared and taking necessary safety precautions when climbing in winter conditions. For more information on the incident and winter climbing safety, visit Here
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