Heading up to Whitney second weekend in June. Can we bum some advice off the seasoned?
- face or buttress? (i know this is an old question)
- do we need crampons for the mountaineers' route descent?
- any other tips on equipment or anything else?

Many thanks!

I am bumping since I am going a month afterward! speak up folks.

Face or Buttress? Wait till you get there to decide. Its basically the same gear. We opted for the buttress cause it offers more climbing. The face is a bit softer.

We did it in Oct so I won't pretend to know if you'll want crampons in June. We didn't need them. But its prolly not a bad idea. The upper traverse off the summit plateau into the proper gully might be sketch with lots of snow.

Other tips? Don't wimp out on the approach like we did and stop early. Hike all the way on the day one and camp below the route. Its probably gonna be real busy that time of year so get a good spot in line...like first.

I climbed the Mountaineer's Route a few years ago on June 20th. I didn't need my crampons going up the east facing part of the route but when I turned the corner closer to the top I sure wish I had put them on. This part of the climb faces north and it is probably the only place you will need the crampons. I put them on for going down and it sure made me feel a lot safer.