Mountaineer’s Route, Mount Whitney
Noted rock climbing freesoloist Alex Honold learning to ski on the Mountaineer’s Route. No fear. // [o] @arcadebelts @gpmartinphoto
Elevation: 14505’ 4421m
Aspect: North and East
Vertical: 6191’ to car, 1800’ on route
Coordinates: 36°34’42”N 118°17’31”W
First descent: Rowell 1974
Upper North Face (first descent from the summit): Bard, Carter 1983
“The highest summit in the lower 48, Whitney offers something for everyone—hikers, climbers, and of course, skiers.” (FCSDofNA)
“I shall never rest satisfied until I have climbed and conquered every important snow covered mountain in the world. There is no form of physical effort that carries the exhilaration of high mountain skiing.”
In the never ending quest to make The FIFTY more difficult, Cody Townsend is joined by legendary rock climber and free soloist Alex Honnold to attempt to link together the lowest spot in North America, Badwater Basin (-282' below sea level) with the highest spot in the continental United States, Mt. Whitney (14,505' above sea level) via a 135 mile bike ride linked to a climb and ski of the Mountaineers Route on Mt. Whitney. Alex is no stranger to sufferfests and joins in on a long time goal of his own, but done in a manner that he is not very familiar with . . . on skis.