Lassen / Shasta Conditions Anyone?

[SchralphMacchio]

Once the snow level gets to bottom of the ramp up to the Hotlum Hotel (the big hump with the spring that splits the HW route drainage, on top of which everyone camps) the snow retreat really slows down. However the transformation to suncups and penetentes really picks up at that point ...

I think if you go with low expectations for quality turns and Type 2 fun below 11k then you will have fun

[SchralphMacchio]

From today

[jibmaster]

Excellent info Schralp - Thankyou!

[jimw]

If anyone happens to be up on the south side, lemme know if you run across an Arcteryx shell that looks like so:



Lost it up there first weekend of June. Well, maybe "lost" isn't the right word. More like the Lemuirans stole it. I think they were pissed about my butt-naked chute descent!



OTOH, streaking past all the surprised campers at Helen Lake was, uh, liberating so to speak.

This was like 3 weeks ago so the south side it probably close to done unless you like a lot of dry hiking, though I gotta say the snow up high was impressively good.

Left some of my mom's ashes up there, so I can visit her from time to time.



Got splitboot??



The road to old ski bowl was still closed at Bunny Flat (supposed to open in a week), but the road was clear. I discovered that my e-skateboard can blaze up that road no problem... hmm, ideas for future missions... Anyway old ski bowl area was also melting out down low, probably a lot more now, here's what it looked like then:



Bike trail was in great shape. Sport #2 for the day. All riders were fully clothed.



Ended at the skate park, for sport #3. Good times.

[jibmaster]

Ha! Nice jimw!
Got some POV of your liberating descent?
Wanna see the looks on everyones faces at Lake Helen.

[TahoeBC]

Thanks for the post Jim and am sorry to hear your mom finally passed, cool you have a special place to visit her, did the same with some of my wife’s ashes.

We should ride bikes again soon!

[emcee]

lassen looking nice with snow to the road. sorry for the big picture this never works right

[SchralphMacchio]

^ when was that pic taken emcee?
It looked a lot worse than that on Wednesday afternoon

[emcee]

my pic was from last Monday, 6/18 on my way up to Canada. Can that meltoff even happen in 48hrs??

[SchralphMacchio]

Well, according to the evidence ...

[pajamas]

Oh shit j dub! Hopefully no butt checks down trinity chutes.

Lassen got 2-3 inches of fresh last week. That could explain it.

[Wobby]

Anyone been up to either peak in the last week or so? I'm looking to eke out some last turns for the season. Any beta would be much appreciated.

[CelebratedSkier]

I hit Wintun Hotlum from Brewer Creek last Wednesday. The top 3,000 ft was still really good. Around 2,000 ft of sun cups makes for an exciting ending but well worth it in my opinion. Snow started right around 9,000ft, about 1.5 hours from the trailhead, although boot packing proved faster for the majority of the climb. If you get a good freeze overnight ski crampons are a huge help.

[Wobby]

I hit Wintun Hotlum from Brewer Creek last Wednesday. The top 3,000 ft was still really good. Around 2,000 ft of sun cups makes for an exciting ending but well worth it in my opinion. Snow started right around 9,000ft, about 1.5 hours from the trailhead, although boot packing proved faster for the majority of the climb. If you get a good freeze overnight ski crampons are a huge help.

Thanks for the beta!

[NorCalNomad]

So went up to Shasta last week to just hike up and find the snow line on the west side. As of last weekend the skiable PATCHES start around 11k on a west aspect. Does Lake Helen count as a glacier? It was still holding a lot of ice as well. No idea on how the north side is holding. But heading up there again this weekend to hike to the summit since the bottom section goes so fast without the snow there.

[B.Gillis]

So went up to Shasta last week to just hike up and find the snow line on the west side. As of last weekend the skiable PATCHES start around 11k on a west aspect. Does Lake Helen count as a glacier? It was still holding a lot of ice as well. No idea on how the north side is holding. But heading up there again this weekend to hike to the summit since the bottom section goes so fast without the snow there.

How’d it go?

[NorCalNomad]

Found out that my partner and I were not fit enough to do a one day ascent of Avy Gulch without acclimating (from sea level) on 5hrs of sleep.

We did get up to the top of Misery Hill. You would of had a hard time (or at least really slow) linking leeward patches of wind deposits on skis since the windward side had plenty of random rocks sticking out.

Got nailed in the head from a rock or ice while climbing to the right of the Heart (but had a helmet). Can't imagine what that is like when it's peak season

Red Banks chutes were in good condition to climb, even a few sections of solid ice. Coming back down them it would have been nice to glissade it, since the snow had really warmed up. But the ice sections and the last steep section into the chute had us keep crampons on. So it was a mixture of backwards alpine crawling and butt scooting down.

We both got some altitude sickness (tiredness, slight nausea, and headache), because of not bringing enough water + the lack of acclimatization. There was running water at 11,100 ft coming off that last "lake" before the heart. That was a godsend on the descent.

Also I got a gnarly sun burn on my face...

Glaciers looked pretty tho The skiable patches aren't there anymore at 11k. You'd have to go to the WRODs left and right of the Heart or the face lookers left of the heart. Again, didn't go to the North side so I'm not useful for that :/

[B.Gillis]

Sounds like quite a wild adventure, I came across a gal who took a softball sized chunk of ice off the dome when I was up there in May. Might be heading up that way in a few days just to get out of Tahoe for a bit.

[NorCalNomad]

Anyone thinking about hitting it this weekend? I'm torn between doing some WROD skiing and boot research in Tahoe and going up to Shasta.

[spaulding24]

Beautiful couple of days in Lassen. Snowpack is very healthy although the wind has taken it's toll. An ice crust on top of sugar snow... Survival skiing at it's finest!

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[pajamas]

^^^Nice tour
Does anyone know about lot plowing and open bathrooms at Lassen with the shutdown? I know the visitors center is closed.

Also this weather and avi forecast for Shasta

https://www.shastaavalanche.org/advi...-advisory#null

[~mikey b]

They plowed Sunday twice, but didn’t Monday and today. Not sure what’s up with the next storm.

[spaulding24]

^^^Nice tour
Does anyone know about lot plowing and open bathrooms at Lassen with the shutdown? I know the visitors center is closed.

Also this weather and avi forecast for Shasta

https://www.shastaavalanche.org/advi...-advisory#null

When I was there over New Years the lot had been plowed (no fresh snow where we were there, though) and they were opening the front doors to allow people to use the bathrooms just inside the entrance. Doors into the visitor's center remained locked.

It's a good thing they had those bathrooms open, otherwise the sledding area beyond the visitor's center would have turned into an excrement slip-and-slide. There were so many damn kids sledding up there

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[pajamas]

Thanks Spaulding,
I figured they would keep the entrance bathrooms open but didn't want to get up there to overnight with closed bathrooms or unplowed road and lot. looks like they got a ton of snow.

[Dhelihiker]

A couple of weeks ago I ran into some old dude living in his van at or near Panther meadows (2 miles from the BF parking lot). His van was almost completely covered in snow and he had some small solar set up. I talked to him to see if he was OK and he was pretty nonchlant about his situation.

me: Are you OK?

Him: It seems so:

Me: Can i help? Do you need anything?

Him: Im good, Do you come here often?

Me: eh, sometimes

Him: Check on me in about a month.


Ive been thinking alot about the interaction. If anyone on this board is sledding in that area try to find him if you can. In hindsight I sorta think it was suicidal or possibly mental illness. weird shit.