Lassen / Shasta Conditions Anyone?

[the_flying_v]

En route to Shasta. Probably be there around Saturday or Sunday. Any one want to ski some N facing aspects?

[jibmaster]

Just got back from skiing the Chicago Glacier


Trip Report
http://www.backcountrytalk.earnyourt...r-June-28-2016

[the_flying_v]

Probably getting to the Beaver Creek TH this evening and starting early on the Hotlum-Wintun. If anyone wants to join you're more than welcome. I'll be on / in my black Nissan Frontier.

[jibmaster]

Beaver Creek - is that code?
How was it?

I'll be in my kayak all day paddling 27 miles of whitewater on Monday, the 4th.
Let us know what you found.
Planning on heading to Shasta next week...

[the_flying_v]

Brewer. I guess my mind is on other things besides skiing and biking on this trip.

Primo Skimo. Planned on a solo but ended up seeing Amar at the TH. Left around 7:15 for the second window. If you contour at 7400 at the fist switchback and follow it to Brewer Creek drainage you can skin to the be summit. Cross over at 11300 for a continuous line via the Wintun. Leisurely climb all day as we had nothing but time and I was smoked from riding bikes and driving.

Dropped skiers left chute (of the three E facing) at 4:20. Real good snow off the top and even better once we were back on the Wintun proper. 40ish degree slopes with prime refreezing corn is a dream. Really good to let it rip. Got the vid on my GaPer but can't get it to load.

Gotta make a plug for Amar here: if you're planning a trip to ski some volcanos check out his website at skimountaineer.com tons of beta. Stoked we finally got to ski together.

[the_flying_v]

[Wickedbrew4u]

Forecast for this weekend is calling for up to 8 inches at 12k on Fri night. Winds seem pretty gnar. We had a trip planned debating to pull the plug or not - or am I just being overly cautious.

[jibmaster]

I think you should head up and report back.

http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Mt-Shasta/6day/mid

http://www.shastaavalanche.org/weath...-summitplateau

"Lowered
snow levels are expected Sunday morning as well with snow levels
dropping to around 6500 to 7500 feet."

Seeing as I am planning on heading up on Monday, I will need your TR.

If you don't go, you will get written up.
The first one will only be a verbal warning, but you'll still have to sign it.
If you go and don't report back, that will make it a second offense and
then you will be on probation.
You'll have to sign that as well.

[Dhelihiker]

Forecast for this weekend is calling for up to 8 inches at 12k on Fri night. Winds seem pretty gnar. We had a trip planned debating to pull the plug or not - or am I just being overly cautious.

I usually go when the forecast looks bad, it seems to be wrong more than right

[SchralphMacchio]

Any weekend reports? Debating for northgate or brewer this coming weekend.

[Wickedbrew4u]

Was up there from the advice of the previous posts...Never disappoints until its 7k of ice on the way down but still awesome. We were on a schedule so had to make it work.

This week should be good though. We did Wintun Hotlum and ascended to the right of Ship Rock instead of cutting around back. We had crazy wind and low flying clouds so it didn't soften up at all. Once you swing around to the Wintun the wind died off.

Still really good coverage for the 1st 3000 feet down. Then major sun cups below the 10000. Still kicks my ass every time but great chuck of rock. Snow lines around 8500 ish.

[Wickedbrew4u]

Btw thanks for the push jibmaster and Dhelihiker

[SchralphMacchio]

^ Thanks for the beta, that sounds actually better than expected. I was thinking snow levels more like 9K and seasonal snow gone from the lower sides of the glaciers.

Jib, report back with Northgate beta!

[jorion]

A friend and I were also up on that side of the mountain this weekend. Hiking up to 8700' at which point we put on skins and the snow connected all the way up. Camped at 10,200'. The wind was pretty ferocious Saturday evening and all day Sunday. Today it was warm and still, so the snow actually softened. The snow was not good below 11,000'.

[jibmaster]

Really good snow conditions.
Videos are uploading.

[jibmaster]

Well - that sucked. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time.
Probably too much of a great time...
Thankfully, it was a cool day.

Went with a friend of mine who is in horrible shape.
And a horrible skier...
We spent the night at the last switch back before the Brewer Creek TH.
Right where the road gets close to Gravel Creek.
We spent Monday night drinking too much.

Woke up at 6am - doh!
Drove up to the TH and proceeded to get our jib on - sorta...
Was hiking by 7:30. We hiked up the climbers trail at the first creek up the trail.
Took the snow drifts up and to the right.
Only got up to 10,000'.

The snow was still good down low.
The snow surface actually improved as we descended.
The last pitch was the best.
The steepness kept the snow from getting too much direct sun.
Resulting in less sun cups.





Haha! Good times!

Will have to go again to redeem myself!

[SchralphMacchio]

thanks for the beta! Sun cups looks better than I anticipated. Surprised you went Brewer instead of Northgate. I wonder how the Chicago is holding up, and if the skiing is any decent on the shoulders around the Bolam.

[jibmaster]

We got a view of the Chicago Glacier. The bergschrund is just opening up.
With the full moon next week, I think I'll head back up.
I really like the length of the ski run coming back down from the Chicago/Hotlum area across those snow slopes.
It's a full mile of skiing back to the Brewer Creek area
in those two videos I posted, below 10,000'.

I don't like the North Gate TH 'cause the skiing ends too soon.
The best reason to hit up the North Gate TH is to ski the North Gate Chutes.
I love climbing up that stuff and skiing back down.

video from last year - climbing the North Gate Chutes

[jimw]

Any weekend reports?

Yeah, Ashland was awesome!!

(seriously, Time Warp was the best I've ever ridden it... but I'd probably avoid that area this weekend as it's gonna be crazy with the endubro race happening)


Here are some pics of Shasta from Sunday, from the wrong side










Didn't end up heading out there to ride... but did get up on Hood last week. Oops sorry wrong thread

[AKbruin]

Really cool shot!

[pajamas]

damn you and your July turns Jdub

[jimw]

More on that Hood descent here. Sorry for the interruption, back to your regularly scheduled Shasta talk!

[smallies]

http://skatevideomagazine.com/viva-l...n-1-episode-1/

[hoarhey]

always fun the peeps you might run into skiing shasta/lassen on memorial day weekend or thereabouts...

[SchralphMacchio]

Report from Sunday 7/17:
Cost of admission for skiing very high on Shasta right now.
From 13500 to 11K I'd say the skiing ranges from good to "passable" depending on aspect. Upper Wintun and Hotlum proper had decent looking snow - didn't get too good a look at upper Bolam but it looked decently skiable.
Below 11K I'd say the skiing ranges from kind of acceptable to heinously awful, leaning mostly toward more of the latter. Just a really bad suncup year for late season there.
Lots of dirt walking and portages to get to continuous snow.

Hotlum glacier still has most crevasses fully covered except for those next to icefall. We went up there actually hoping for more crevasse action but there was just so much snow this season. Upper Hotlum showing fat bergschrunds for exploration.

Lassen West Face gully still somehow looking very fat from the highway, not sure how bad of a schwack from the summit TH parking area to get over to it, and not sure how badly suncupped.