Sorry to see that. But very believable.

I climbed Whitney twice ... once by the trail .. and the second time by the rock route (SE face)? As you say, there is also a classic route up the couloir - the Mountaineers Route.

I still remember - very clearly - the descent, after we reached the summit. And it was indeed very hazardous. There were 3 in my party. We were exuberant, but very tired and dehydrated. The descent on the north face involves working your way down a slope with a lot of ice and snow mixed in with the rock. The snow is not deep, but the patches of ice were very tricky. We did it at night, and without ropes. That was NOT good judgment. But we were running out of time. I remember thinking then ... one slip here, you will slide, and it's certain death. Very true - it is.

Sorry to see the report. I don't like to see young people lose their lives like that. The smart strategy is to use a rope for the descent to add safety. But few climbers do it.

Incidentally, that climbing experience was the first time in my life - when I saw a person break down from stress and exhaustion. One of our group reached their limits, after we finished descending that north face. The combination of energy loss, and danger, caused their mind to shut down. They just sat down on a rock in the middle of the night - and would not go any further. It was near midnight, and we still had a long way to go - to get home. Not a trivial situation :-)

Pete