snow on bishop pass

Someone can correct me if I’m wrong but that is SWE (snow water equivalent) which means it has the equivalent water content of  11.3 inches of rain. The snow depth is certainly much deeper than a foot.

May is pretty early even in a drought year but it has been melting fast. Mammoth Weather indicates some snow has happened in the last couple of days and that more is possible soon. Ned Tibbits has been talking about snow on the JMT and Sierra Conditions FB groups.

I am not qualified to have an opinion about late May snow this far out other than to say anything is possible and that spikes/axe are not out of the question.

I have the exact same thought as Matthew. SWE must mean the equivalent water value of the snow.

Why don’t you check the Whitney Portal forum pages. There might be reports of snow depth at equivalent altitudes.

You could call the Ranger Station in Bishop.  I have always found them eminently helpful.

And if it is even only 8 or 9 inches of snow, if there has been a lot of human traffic, the cycle of daytime compression/melting and nighttime freezing will increase the need for traction.

Bear in mind that a big storm just hit…and another one is on the way.  So snow levels in May are still a bit early to predict.

Snow levels are very low at the moment. It may change, but it is unlikely to change significantly. It will really depend on the hike you have planned, as far as, need for ice axe, or microspikes or crampons. N, NE, or E facing aspects may have snow fields and early season there may be lumpy snow patches in shaded trees (read traction is a nice have)…. even when snow is miserably low.

I have a hike planned for May 13th-ish including off trail stuff, and will be looking at Sat photos when we get close to guess at what to bring. In normal years, it would likely be a ski trip.

My 2 cents.

You would be wise to keep track of snow fall in the week before your planned hike.  Significant new snow on top of a consolidated layer, especially if it is iced up or hard snow  can create a significant avalanche hazard on a slope like the one below Bishop Pass.

I like High Sierra Topix for condition reports.

Also weekly Sentinel layers on Caltopo or elsewhere can indicate the progress of the melt as we get closer to summer plans.