Thinking of heading up to do the Casaval ridge. This has been an unusual winter weather wise. Does anyone have any insight regarding the current conditions. Thanks

Any recent updates on the Casaval Ridge route? I'm thinking about doing this on May 9 or 10. Because of the weak snow year it sounds like the prime climbing season is going to be a bit earlier than normal. So maybe early May will be too late?

Here's an update I found on shastaavalanche.org:

Casaval has been devoid of snow for most of the winter, however the weeks recent storm has deposited a few feet of snow on the route. Postholing is likely an issue and avalanche danger should be assessed. Exposed rocks are a possibility on the traverse from Casaval to the West Face. Otherwise, this route is a beautiful climb, physically challenging and should be in good shape for the next month or so. Green Butte/Sargents is in decent shape...lack of ice/snow on the rock spine above 11,600 can push the route onto the steep west slope with some necessary route finding through the rock bands to stay on snow. Be careful not to dislodge rocks onto the Avalanche Gulch climbers below you! This route doesn't see great conditions often, but is a great challenge and not for the weak of heart. Technical difficulties are usually not a problem for climbers on these routes however both of these routes have a lot of exposure for long falls, and are better off for experienced climbers.

Has anyone been to Brewer Creek trailhead or Hotlum-Wintun recently? I'm thinking of heading up there first week in May.

Bump !
Anyone been up Mt. Shasta recently (this month) ?

Thanks for the info., telewoman !

As of April 27 – 30, 2012, there was a lot of snow coverage everywhere on Shasta. However, the snow was getting wet and soft afternoon due to higher temperatures. Many people walked with snowshoes or skis. The wind was on and off but practically no snowing. Most climbed the CR, some AG and, perhaps, a few B and WS. I saw a few very minor avalanche tracks on both sides of CR. Overall it was a great weekend for climbing Mt Shasta.

Casaval Ridge


Helen Lake

One of my 'internet friends' climbed Green Butte ridge last weekend, said it was great and in good conditions.

I went up Casaval Sunday April 29, 2012. The route is in great shape. Snow through the catwalk is solid, although a number of guides chose to take clients around it. I have some youtube video's of the hike. Here are the links: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2kfCFN4En0 [/youtube][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qR64ND5W1I [/youtube][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7USSHAb20c[/youtube][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbJTdDtzJow[/youtube]

Great pics and videos ! Thank you.

Robin,

I want to say thank-you for sharing the great information about conditions and outings on Shasta. I'll be going with some friends in few weeks to make yet another attemp to reach the top. We're gonna try to summit on May 25. We're hoping to be just a little bit ahead of the Memorial Weekend spike in the number of visitors. I've made three previous trips to Shasta from Southern California. I haven't made it to the top yet but I've had fun trying and had some great ski runs descending from various turn around points on Avalanche Gulch and Clear Creek.

I've been checking your site at lease once a week throughout the winter for my sort of vicarious visits to Shasta to keep watch on conditions. Wow, what an unusual season! We're hoping to get some stable, good weather and snow conditions for our upcoming trip. So please keep posting the awesome reports and pictures.

Do we require snowshoes to get to Hidden Valley (West Face Gully) around this time of the year, or is the snow hard enough ? (Assuming we start around 8 am).
Can someone who has been there recently comment ?

juggernaut wrote:Do we require snowshoes to get to Hidden Valley (West Face Gully) around this time of the year, or is the snow hard enough ? (Assuming we start around 8 am).
Can someone who has been there recently comment ?

Call the ranger office. They're a great group with the best beta.

juggernaut wrote:Do we require snowshoes to get to Hidden Valley (West Face Gully) around this time of the year, or is the snow hard enough ? (Assuming we start around 8 am).
Can someone who has been there recently comment ?

A group that summited and descended via Avalanche Gulch last Thursday (May 10) reported that the afternoon snow was soft and slushy. No snowshoes needed in the morning on the way up, they reached the top at 10:45 a.m. But they said snowshoes were needed later in the afternoon to get down. In addition they said it was cold and windy on the summit with gusts to 40 mph, but calmer with an afternoon high near 70 degrees at lower elevations.

Thanks RickF

We summited through west face gully on 20 May 2012, here is how it looked :