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I can't compare to other routes, but Casaval Ridge was really run and easy: http://www.summitpost.org/mt-shasta-cas ... dge/515832. I was there Memorial Day weekend and we had very good conditions. I can imagine in late season this route melts out unpleasantly, not sure what it will be like in late June in this heavy snow year.

Hey man, the ridge routes may be in, they may not be in. The Ranger Station yonder always has current info on Green/Sargents/Cassaval and a call near your trip will give you a perfect idea on the shape of the routes. They can be awful and dangerous when melted out.

I second EB's suggestion. I thought that the Green Butte/Sargeants link-up was just as exciting as Cassaval though.

^^^sounds like the upper portion of GB/Sargent's is already in crappy shape...http://www.shastaavalanche.org/advisori ... g-advisory

I would look at the routes on the N/E side. Ridge or glacier routes depending on your preference. Any chance you wanna earn some turns? If so hit the Hotlum-Wintun. Cheers

If I were to weigh my two cents on this issue, it really depends on what conditions will be. That being said, these would be my suggestions:

The West Face: It's usually in good condition late into the season, and as it gets later, as long as the gully is filled with snow to the summit plateau, it become more challenging. A couple of pickets will be essential on this route.

I haven't done it, but I've heard that Green Butte/Sergeant's to Panorama Point and then up the Konwakiton Glacier is a great, rarely done, remote wilderness route with some steep stuff, a little bit of glacier, some ridge climbing, maybe two camps. In other words, long and exciting the whole way.

As far as the northside, there is this little gem of a route called the Bolam Gully. It climbs the Hotlum Bolam ridge on the right (west) side, rather than the gentler angle on the left (east) side. Definitely bring ice screws, pickets, a rope, and know how to use them. But the angle isn't greater than 55 degrees and there are no crevasse crossings and only the same objective hazard of a bergschrund below (same as Hotlum-Bolam Ridge).

These would be my recommendations for what you said you're looking for.

Also, for fun, Shastina often has some super fun steep snow runnels late into season on the North side.

AriehDavid wrote:The West Face: It's usually in good condition late into the season, and as it gets later, as long as the gully is filled with snow to the summit plateau, it become more challenging. A couple of pickets will be essential on this route.

Pickets essential on West Face? Really? I didn't find it to be so steep and challenging and I was lugging skis up there last year.

The key to my picket comment is the part about it being late in the season... I mean pickets late in season. But this wouldn't be the first time I had a disagreement with someone about a route on Shasta on SP. I've also encountered people who think that an ice axe is not necessary, even when you need crampons, on Avy Gulch. I assume if you were lugging skis conditions were more mild (i.e. skiable).

In the PNW (Shasta included apparently), alpine snow and ice climbs can get considerably steeper as the season progresses. The Kautz Glacier on Rainier, for example, is an easy snow climb no steeper than 40 degrees in May but melts out into a steep ice climb that many people use two tools and belay on and need to rappel to descend.

Park Glacier Headwall on Mt Baker has been skied in early season. This is me on it in August.

I climbed Bolam Glacier last 4th of July. Was a bit thin up top, but this year should be loaded up, judging from this season's snow accumulations. Descend H/B ridge.

telewoman wrote:The north side and northeast side of the mountain offers some excellent climbing. The Hotlum/Bolam and the Hotlum/Wintun Routes are worth checking into for the month of June. At this time it is 4.5 miles to the Northgate Trail head and a good 19 miles still for the Brewer Creek Road.
Current conditions-
http://www.shastaavalanche.org/advisori ... g-advisory
http://www.mountshastaguide.com
Oh yeah, great skiing on those routes too!

Robin,
This June I'll be making my third annual trip to Shasta. I along with a group of friends are thinking of heading up Clear Creek route. The road is currently open to about 5 miles from the trailhead. In Spring-time for the past three years we've monitored the Shasta Advisory and Fifth Season info. for status of the roads to the trailheads. I know that the Everitt Memorial Highway is maintained and the forest service or county highway department does snow removal up to Bunny Flat. But for the other trailheads, is it just a matter of waiting for nature to melt the snow to clear the road or is there any organized human intervention to open vehicle access the remote trailheads? What do you think are the chances that we'll be able to drive all the way to the Clear Creek Trailhead by June 26th?

Robin,

Thank-you, I'll keep checking this thread as well as the other usual sources. Let me know if see any snow-plows working up on 41N25Y or Road 31:)

Casaval Ridge on April 26-27, 2011. Conditions were great, other than sustained 30 mph winds on ridge, 50-60 mph above Misery Hill and 40 on the summit. See short trip report and picture summary with link to HD video of climb.
http://stums.org/mountaineeringlife/Cli ... index.html