Lassen / Shasta Conditions Anyone?

[Ottime]

5th Season is the shop that sells that map. For a two day trip this time of year 95% of people are schlepping camp up to Helen Lake or Hidden Valley and them summitting from there.

Getting lost on the way up is difficult, but making sure you take the correct drainage retracing your steps back to the car is a big deal ... use a cell phone GPS app to track your steps if you are a first timer as there are a lot of people who wander the woods for hours.

My main advice for a first timer is to be extra diligent really managing rockfall/icefall and temps/timing on the way up and down. Too late up puts you at risk for avy or ice/rockfall exposure on the way down. It's easy to underestimate that 5000' of overhead exposure means that a rock coming at you will easily reach 65 mph. Ice cube size pieces of ice or rock hurt bad. Softball sized pieces can really mess you up. I've had to outrun something between a microwave oven and small electric oven before.

What size microwave? And what is a small electric oven? Like a toaster oven?

Maybe next weekend I can escape. Or June 5th. I want to play.

[SchralphMacchio]

No, not a toaster oven, like the kind of kitchen oven you see in a small studio apartment. It was a pretty big f'ing rock, like 20" - 30" across going by my head at about 25 mph, but this was in August and I was glissading down after summiting, not skiing.

[Huck Pitueee]

Booting pow Saturday morning.

[jimw]

Nice. PJ (Darren) talked to a couple guys who went out there Sat - I assume that was you - sounded like there was a crust underneath partway up and tough booting w/o crampons or something? We went out yesterday and it was awesome, really winter conditions. We got a couple sucker hole views of that chute and I think it coulda been good yesterday. We went to Diller and had no vis on the first run, took a chance and went back up to the summit and waited around 20 min, then lucked out and got a good enough hole in the clouds to get the north bowl in untracked epic pow. It was awesome! The sun basically didn't come out at all except for a couple little sucker holes, temp was never above 40. Snow was consolidated and a little heavy but not manky pow. Looks like they're getting more tomorrow. Crazy awesome spring up there.

[SchralphMacchio]

Huck, were you the dude in the BD Factor boots? Is the guy in that pic the dude with the V-works skis and the funny water bottle holster? If so, I was with PJ at Sulphur Works trailhead, I was the yellow-jacketed red pants splitter. PJ and his wife both had Jones board on their packs.

Jdub - glad you guys got your sucker holes! That run looked so good on Saturday ... I'm sure PJ told you how tough the vis was on Saturday. I ate shit over the bars coming down from Pilot Pinnacle because I couldn't see where I was going, musta pointed too hard into some of that heavier stuff below that grabbed my board.

[Huck Pitueee]

2 of us split from that group. But Water bottle guy was with us in the Couloir. Solid hiker Skier...I snow boarded Sat and attempted Couloir of imminent peril on skis sunday from the top. Rope needed for a safe entry I think. We all stayed at the Outdoor adventure club house in Mineral. Sweet deal for 50 bucks per night!

[Huck Pitueee]

Nice. PJ (Darren) talked to a couple guys who went out there Sat - I assume that was you - sounded like there was a crust underneath partway up and tough booting w/o crampons or something? We went out yesterday and it was awesome, really winter conditions. We got a couple sucker hole views of that chute and I think it coulda been good yesterday. We went to Diller and had no vis on the first run, took a chance and went back up to the summit and waited around 20 min, then lucked out and got a good enough hole in the clouds to get the north bowl in untracked epic pow. It was awesome! The sun basically didn't come out at all except for a couple little sucker holes, temp was never above 40. Snow was consolidated and a little heavy but not manky pow. Looks like they're getting more tomorrow. Crazy awesome spring up there.

We booted up on a whim without the right gear Saturday morning. I ended up shoveling steps and keeping up with guys with ski boots and no crampons. It was a clusterfuk but the turns were sick!

[rod9301]

Where is that couloir? I've been there a few times, but never saw it.

2 of us split from that group. But Water bottle guy was with us in the Couloir. Solid hiker Skier...I snow boarded Sat and attempted Couloir of imminent peril on skis sunday from the top. Rope needed for a safe entry I think. We all stayed at the Outdoor adventure club house in Mineral. Sweet deal for 50 bucks per night!

[jimw]

Nothing to see here Rod. Move along...



(check your PM's...)

Huck, your pic looks very similar to when we dropped it last month:





I wouldn't want to drop into that blind from the top with unknown conditions in that upper section, unless roped in. We climbed it from the bottom, and topping out that last section was kinda sketchy, basically swimming up almost vertical super deep snow with a hard layer underneath.

So I take it nobody actually dropped in? Hmm, could still be good up there...

[Huck Pitueee]

Holy shhh#@ I just checked the drop on last page! One of the local guides named it couloir of imminent peril just joking. Some get pissed if you reveal exact locations in the park.

[BGnight]

Keeping the only real couloir in Lassen, that's a short skin from the car, a secret. That's funny.

Besides, google earth has made keeping secrets impossible.

[jimw]

I edited the post anyway. Huck, I like that name for the chute better, that's what it kinda feels like at the top!

[jdadour]

Great looking photos guys! Heading up to Shasta for a guided tour mid June, looks like the snow should still be good then. My buddy who is up there right now is saying they are getting in legit powder turns this week!

[LightRanger]

Great looking photos guys! Heading up to Shasta for a guided tour mid June, looks like the snow should still be good then. My buddy who is up there right now is saying they are getting in legit powder turns this week!

In most years Shasta is actually best in June. You'll have a good time.

[CaliKid]

Anyone know how much walking if any before hitting the snowline is from the road by the Devastated Area parking? Thanks.

[somethingclever...]

Anyone know if the little creek next to the "Hotlum Hotel" is flowing or should we be prepared with fuel for melting? I've seen both around this time and I would prefer not to bring a bunch of extra fuel. Thanks in advance.

[jskierpx]

How long do you think snow will stick around in that couloir on Brokeoff this year?

Nothing to see here Rod. Move along...



(check your PM's...)

Huck, your pic looks very similar to when we dropped it last month:





I wouldn't want to drop into that blind from the top with unknown conditions in that upper section, unless roped in. We climbed it from the bottom, and topping out that last section was kinda sketchy, basically swimming up almost vertical super deep snow with a hard layer underneath.

So I take it nobody actually dropped in? Hmm, could still be good up there...

[96avs01]

Anyone know how much walking if any before hitting the snowline is from the road by the Devastated Area parking? Thanks.

Didn't tour, but got a bit of recon with the wife on the way back from Lava Beds today. Definitely some booting involved to snowline.

[telek]

it took us about 30 min to reach snowline. IMO, not enough to warrant carrying shoes... I'd just boot it.

[hutash]

Just got off Shasta over few days. The west face is in phenomenal shape. Thousand of feet of sweet corn with barely a track and only a handful off footprints. Avi gulch on the other had is a shit show. still some good turns on the sides. We didn't summit, snow was shit at Misery hill, so didn't bother.

Bunny Flat is melting out fast. Couple hundred yards to snow, then skinable to Horse Camp, but it won't be for long if temps keep up. The spring is dug out despite what 5th Season says.

with these warm temps the north side roads should be melting out fast and open soon. There is a lot of snow on the southside, so the north face routes should be great for awhile to come.

Pics to follow, and possibly even a TR.

[FormerKnuckleDragger]

Nice. We were planning on a Sunday mission up Avalanche Gulch but saw forecasts for 40 mph winds at Helen Lake and 70 mph winds up top. Didn't pay attention to the actual weather though. How did it turn out?

[hutash]

Fucking phenomenal. A little breeze up high, but nothing of significance. Top 1k was nasty snow so we bailed and just skied the west face. Balmy temps, light wind or breezes, clear skies, just about perfect Shasta conditions. With 5k of vertical you have to expect some changes. We timed it well, dropping the top of the west face about 1pm. Firm but fun and fast at the top. perfect corn in the middle cream corn at the bottom, and slush, but tolerable after Hidden Valley.

[jskierpx]

Update from SMG


http://snowbrains.com/14162-foot-mt-...itions-report/

[jskierpx]

Question about the routes on the north side of the mountain, specifically the Brewer creek trail head; how rough are the roads getting into the trailhead, and what sort of vehicle clearance do you need, if any? I've heard that there is great camping on the way into the trailheads on offshoots of the road, just sorting out if I can bring my small camper trailer in with me behind my truck.

Thanks for any input-

[meter-man]

Question about the routes on the north side of the mountain, specifically the Brewer creek trail head; how rough are the roads getting into the trailhead, and what sort of vehicle clearance do you need, if any? I've heard that there is great camping on the way into the trailheads on offshoots of the road, just sorting out if I can bring my small camper trailer in with me behind my truck.

Thanks for any input-

Assuming the roads are clear (which I don't think they are), I recall the dirt roads being in good shape (ie., no 4x4 required) to Brewer Creek TH.

Anyone have beta on coverage for the north side of Shastina??