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Depending on season and conditions, this makes it sound like it can definitely be less than trivial for some:

https://www.outsideonline.com/2330916/mount-whitney-climbing...

I live near Mt. Shasta and, though inexperienced climbers do climb it, many people, because of their inexperience, vastly underestimate what can go wrong there, including very sudden changes in weather conditions.

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Absolutely true, of course. Some mountains that aren’t difficult in the summer can be torturous in the winter. And any mountain can be dangerous. As an aside, I do love ascending Shasta, one of my favorites in that region.

But, from the reverence, I get the suspicion that this “startup thought leader” who is trying to sell you courses on blog writing saw that Whitney was the tallest in the 48 and climbed it to be able to weave into a story for a blog. Which makes me take the whole thing even less seriously.

Agreed. I count myself as a beginner mountaineer, and while I respect the physical fitness/training required to reach Whitney, unless he did the Mountaineer’s route up to the top, I struggle to envision this guy as more than a fit hiker/backpacker.

Also, telling people they have to hike alone is advice no responsible mountaineer would give. You CAN hike alone, and it can be rewarding, but please understand the risks!

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