Lassen / Shasta Conditions Anyone?

[pajamas]

the park got 5-7 inches Saturday night. light winds on sunday, but Monday was pretty brutal and almost everywhere got wind jacked from the NE winds.
just enough coverage to get out and about but pretty slim still until you are up high.

[sruffian]

Any beta after this weekend? Considering making the drive up to get in some vert this weekend and start getting the legs in shape. I'm assuming skiable coverage and predominant windfunk?

[mr. hankey]

Skied Shasta Sunday. Great coverage (skin/ski to the car). Everything had setup with a good melt/freeze that night and it was corn from at least from where we skied (11.2k) down to bunny flat (6.9k). It was all about timing and aspect - anything SE facing steeper stuff 11.2k-->9.6k was really good, then a short mushy section until you get on the flatter stuff a few hundred feet below. but from there down to 7.5 was really good on the flats again. We skied off of Casaval at noon and it felt like perfect timing. The west facing stuff hasn't gone the cycle yet, so for now skiing off of Casaval is where it's at. there is some texture and ski tracks but it was soft so it skied like it was smooth in most places.

I tried to post a bunch of pics earlier but it said something like "need moderator to approve the post" or something. I'm sure I screwed something up.
If folks want to see some pics let me know and I can try again. Assuming this post goes through ... cheers.

[rod9301]

Skied Shasta Sunday. Great coverage (skin/ski to the car). Everything had setup with a good melt/freeze that night and it was corn from at least from where we skied (11.2k) down to bunny flat (6.9k). It was all about timing and aspect - anything SE facing steeper stuff 11.2k-->9.6k was really good, then a short mushy section until you get on the flatter stuff a few hundred feet below. but from there down to 7.5 was really good on the flats again. We skied off of Casaval at noon and it felt like perfect timing. The west facing stuff hasn't gone the cycle yet, so for now skiing off of Casaval is where it's at. there is some texture and ski tracks but it was soft so it skied like it was smooth in most places.

I tried to post a bunch of pics earlier but it said something like "need moderator to approve the post" or something. I'm sure I screwed something up.
If folks want to see some pics let me know and I can try again. Assuming this post goes through ... cheers.

Going to Shasta tomorrow, 4 th time in 4 weeks.

When you say you skied off cassaval ridge, were you skiing from the ridge into avalanche gulch, or north of the ridge cause to West face?

Was ice fall bad into the avalanche gulch?

Thank you.

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[rod9301]

.

A picture from a week ago.

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[mr. hankey]

Hey Rod! (I skied coke chute w/ you and JimW eons ago).
We skinned up the gulch, past Helen to about 10,700 and then traversed back and up Casaval. No Icefall at all until around 11:30, when it just started pouring down, hence our traverse back up to Casaval. It shouldn't be a problem if you go earlier and pick your aspect (Sergents's side hadn't gotten sun an hence no icefall yet). I had my bro-in law w/me and he was out of gas, so it limited our options.

[mr. hankey]

Enjoy

[rod9301]

Thanks, I remember you, changed your handle?

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[mr. hankey]

Yeah, i used to be Towelie on thebackcountry forum (RIP), TTips, Splitboard.com (pretty much RIP ). I think i joined TGR when we did Red slate or somethng i the high sierras w/ the turtles. Been out of action with young kids and just got back into it last year.

Hey i might be heading back up. still unlikely, but if work and weather cooperate, maybe Thu or F thu sat. If i do i'll ping ya. Maybe do the Thumb rock gullies down to Shastarama. It's more easterly and higher than what we skiied before, but maybe now after a couple of more days it could be prime. Sergents face off of shastarama looked wind F*cked, but maybe the Southerly side of shastarama bowl would be good. Or just Casaval again...

[AKbruin]

Hey gents, how are the Trinity Chutes looking? Think they'll corn up by the weekend?

[mr. hankey]

Not really sure, definitely not when we were there. those are pretty high (13.4k?). Even on nice spring day's with enough wind they seem to be 50/50 to corn, so I'd guess no. It looked like the rime level on Casaval went to about 12k on sunday, so i'd bet stuff above that hadn't softened before then but with our "springbruary" warm temps, maybe... Like i said the Thumbs down gullies are as steep and lower elevation (if they're not wind F'd and too Easterly to corn). And Casaval below the trinities, maybe a bit below the catwalk could corn...

[AKbruin]

Thanks, man. Long periods of poor coverage and high pressure tend to compromise one's idea of what might be fun/good.

[sruffian]

^ big time. tahoe and eastside conditions have me thinking an early start and slog up misery hill just to ski quasi corn on the way down sounds delightful. very different february than last year.

[Dhelihiker]

I don't see it corning up, it has to be pretty warm or a nice high sun. The top rocks are covered with rime and may or may not be covered enough to "ski" into the chutes.

[rod9301]

The thumbs down gullies, how do you get to them and hire do you get out?

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[jibmaster]

Just got back from Shasta

[mr. hankey]

Yeah, To Dhelihiker’s point, there’s lots of stuff like that, that can come into play. We’re really guessing here and ya gotta make your own call. BTW, checkout the ranger site for folks that don’t know http://shastaavalanche.org/.

Rod, see below for beta on the Thumbs down chutes. This is one of the ones I’d would look at if I go back, but it might not be for everyone, nor in condition.

The positive (if it’s in shape) is that it’s a brand new side of the mountain that most don’t see. And it’s one of the runs (like the Konwokiton gully) that you follow the sun as you descend, so you ski SE aspect in the chutes from 12.7k to 11k, then SW on sergent’s face to ski bowl from 11k to 9.5k, and if you’re willing you can even catch the W face of powder bowl or W.face of green butte into the gulch (9k to 8k). So each elevation matches the perfect corn baking time. Well that’s the theory, and it’s worked out for me many times...

The downside is that you most likely will ski it blind and won’t fully know the conditions, and ya gotta do a ~20 min skin from the bottom of the chutes on the flats to get back to the top of Sergents ridge by Shastarama. And at least last Sunday Sergents face looked wind f*d, so it might not be worth it if that hasn’t smoothened (Or you avoid the face and ski east into the bowls below shastarama and back through “the gate”, but that adds time/distance.)

Ya got 3 ways of doing it:
1) Climb the gulch: go the ridge of thumb rock, check conditions and ski it blind. This is what I do. it’s quick. Hopefully no new wind slabs and checking the top is enough to make sure the bottom won’t be a wet/loose slide.
2) Climb green butte, skin up ski bowl and climb sergents ridge up to shastarama (big rock on sergents ridge proper), and then climb the route. Bad idea – tons of rockfall and wind particles if the winds are from the west)
3) Climb greenbutte/sergents ridge (the merger of these two ridges is a really cool place, and you have the option to check conditions on the E face, and still exit to the gulch or ski bowl)

Pics from years past. No idea what it’s like there now…

Top of the ridge next to Thumb rock (Avy gulch is to the left):


Pick your line, many not shown and are further up or down the ridge:

Have fun in the gully/chutes:



looking back at the face/chutes. the chutes we skied aren't visible here. Thumb rock not the one that looks the tallest, it's futher back to the right.

Ski down to the flats (mud creek glacier), skin to shastarama point (top left)


Ski down sergents to the ski bowl to the road and car, with the option of ski bowl to powderbowl/gulch with a tiny climb.


again, these are pics from the past (mostly may/june). no idea what it's like there now

[mr. hankey]

great pic Jibmaster. Yeah, stuff that is SE looks smooth, anything else looks wind textured. how was it?

[jibmaster]

Skied Sunbowl
got some video uploading

[jibmaster]

Skied down around 11:30. Heard from others that went into Avalanche Gulch - super high winds above 9000'.
I was protected in Sun Bowl, but still had very firm conditions.
Anything east facing corned up with shady ice and firm conditions on slopes facing up.
Wasn't sure if things above me were going to corn up, so dropped in.



Got gas in Williams on the drive back - could hardly stand up, the winds were so strong.

[rod9301]

Skied today, pretty firm up high and a lot of ice chunks, scary

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[jorion]

I stubbornly skied on Shasta with high winds once and it ended poorly. As much as I’d like to ski Shasta during this high pressure cycle, the prospect of potentially driving five hours only to have unexpected winds will probably keep me away.

[rod9301]

From Shasta

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[buildakicker]

Head a little farther north and hit crater lake! It's been great season up there for touring. just yesterday.

Fresh and Deep.

[donutlynx]

^^That looks so good! Maybe get out there this week...