March 30, 2009
IMG Partner & Whitney Program Director George Dunn called in today to let us know that the his team summitted yesterday… 8 for 8 on top! The weather was warm down low but some strong winds (40-50mph) higher up on the mountain made for a COLD summit day…. The good news is that snow conditions on the upper mountain were perfect!
Whitney Info
Mt. Whitney, at 14,495 feet is the highest peak in the lower 48 states.Techniques used and introduced on this climb include running belays and fixed line work. We use expedition camping skills and bring the same equipment that we would use on a summer climb of Mt. Rainier. In addition, we typically use snowshoes on the approach hike up to high camp.
Day 1: Approach hike to 10,300ft.
Day 2: Move to high camp at 12,200ft
Day 3: Summit day & back to high camp.
Day 4: Hike out.
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Tye Chapman
IMG Operations Manager
Justin will be heading back to guide 
Ok so here’s the deal – don’t spend a ton of time counting the calories but +/- 1500 calories of personal food per day is about average for snack intake. Bringing foods that you are familiar with and enjoy is where your focus should be. Remember just because you’re in the mountains doesn’t mean you have to eat pounds of trail mix and bag after bag of almonds. Mix it up and bring foods you know you’ll eat, even if the altitude has temporarily stolen your appetite. Oh yeah – spoil yourself – adults like candy too! Keep “summit day” in mind… you’ll need some food that is easy to access and doesn’t freeze to the point that it’s not edible.
March 3, 2009