Conditions Report
Mt. Shasta report and video courtesy of Brian Gillis
The first time I saw Mount Shasta I was in complete awe. It is by far the biggest mountain I have ever laid eyes on. After dreaming about it for two years straight I got the chance to climb her yesterday for the first time. I started hiking alone at 3 am under a moon lit sky. 10 long hours later I finally reached the summit. I met a handful of amazing folks along the way and enjoyed every second of the journey. To top it all off I got to ski 7,000 feet of pure California corn all the way back to the car. My first fourteener but definitely not my last …
The Shasta season is in full swing right now. Conditions on the southern side of the mountain are ripe and ready for harvesting. It’s getting warm out there real fast so get it while it’s still good!
Snow at the Bunny Flat trailhead is dwindling day by day. As of Friday, May 4th there was patchy snow at the trailhead with a few inches of skinnable muck melting down by the minute. The rest of the Avalanche Gulch route was in good condition.
The snow conditions above Horse Camp were perfect with a solid frozen surface for hiking up and perfect corn for skiing down. A few late-season storms have left the Red Banks and Trinity Chutes loaded with rime. Falling ice was a concern on the way up and I spoke with one gal that took a softball size chunk off the cheek.
Misery Hill was sufficiently covered however the underlying scree and talus have begun to poke out in certain locations. Skiing from the Summit Plateau was scratchy above the Red Banks. Anything below the Red Banks area was sublime with perfect corn the entire way down to Horse Camp.
The Northgate trailhead has just opened this week. The Clear Creek and Brewer Creek trail head’s are still a few weeks away from opening with patchy snow coverage lining the roads.
