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Doing shasta this time of the year, late july, is it doable during the day in a pair of shorts? I've been on top of Mt. Whitney in shorts before and I hate wearing snow clothes. Will I be out of my mind doing it in a pair of comfy shorts?

Is is doable––Yes, but you will no doubt freeze and need to be removed from the mountain via helicopter . . . something like that . . . Actually, I would say that you could no doubt spend a few hours in shorts, during the afternoon, but you won't be doing any alpine starts in a pair of shorts.

http://www.snowcrest.net/camera/bigdaily.mpg

Shasta is not whitney. I've only done shasta three times, all in the spring and there was no way you'd want to be in shorts for more than a few afternoon hours.

I'm betting that even if there was very little snow on shasta it would still be pretty damn cold and windy.

Whitney, I've done twelve (end of JMT) times and slept up top maybe seven-eight times. It gets really cold during the night, but there's at least no snow and the conditions are not as apt to change drastically, like they can on Shasta. Go up thee unprepared and you're in trouble.

I did shasta in late september. there were two guys in shorts and they didn't seem to mind. I wore long pants but they were lightweight. I would say it depends upon the weather and temps. If it is stormy and cold...no...if it is hot then yes.

AdmiralTBags,

I agree that rigorous hiking/climbing is more comfortable in shorts. But in snow & ice you can get really cold when you're not exerting a lot of effort or stopping to rest.

How about taking convertable pants? That's what I almost always use in the summer. The legs zip off and you can carry them in your daypack. If it gets cold zip 'em on. Or you could carry a pair of lightweight wind pants to throw on over your shorts. the wind pants will also be useful if you find any glissade chutes that are still in shape.

RickF wrote:...
How about taking convertable pants? That's what I almost always use in the summer. The legs zip off and you can carry them in your daypack. If it gets cold zip 'em on. Or you could carry a pair of lightweight wind pants to throw on over your shorts. the wind pants will also be useful if you find any glissade chutes that are still in shape.

Agree!

Never count on luck in mountaineering. You may climb in shorts but be prepared for unexpected whether change. Some of those, unlucky, who went light are not climbing anymore.

If you're wearing shorts you'll probably want to wear gaiters, to keep snow and/or dust and scree out of your boots. You won't be hiking on a trail the whole way like on Whitney main trail - much of Shasta is on snow or scree. In which case you might as well wear long pants and get the benefit of some sun protection. And of course long pants will keep the snow out of your crotch should you have to self arrest or decide to glissade on the way down.

I definitely agree with clmbr. Counting on luck in the mountains (especially on one like Shasta, where the weather can go from pleasant to ferocious in a hurry) is risky at the absolute best. If you decide on shorts, it's wise to keep a pair of (non-cotton!) pants in your pack and ready to wear if things get shifty. Going light might speed things up, but the tradeoff is added risk if you get caught with your, um, pants down.

Everybody seems to agree that if you time it right you might be able to pull it off...

but if you have any common sense at all, you will put some pants in your pack, just in case!

PS if you wear official Denali State Park shorts I'm sure you'll be fine. I mean, they're made for Denali, right?

http://www.prepsportswear.com/product/State%20Parks/Alaska/Denali-State-Park/Holloway-Men-s-Speed-Shorts--9--Inseam.aspx?schoolid=2618164&productid=4189&pc=silver_grey&category=176&d=33334&up_ss2=m

GEM Trail wrote:Everybody seems to agree that if you time it right you might be able to pull it off...

but if you have any common sense at all, you will put some pants in your pack, just in case!

^^^^
That!

I took the advice and brought some pants. The 3am kick-off was damn cold and I'm glad I had some pants on me.

AdmiralTbags wrote:I took the advice and brought some pants. The 3am kick-off was damn cold and I'm glad I had some pants on me.

Good for you.


BTW,

JHH60 wrote:PS if you wear official Denali State Park shorts I'm sure you'll be fine. I mean, they're made for Denali, right?

http://www.prepsportswear.com/product/State%20Parks/Alaska/Denali-State-Park/Holloway-Men-s-Speed-Shorts--9--Inseam.aspx?schoolid=2618164&productid=4189&pc=silver_grey&category=176&d=33334&up_ss2=m

I would not buy this pants for Shasta, they might be way too warm.

i was up there a week and a half ago. The weather was beutiful.

From Misery Hill to the summit, I was fully covered and wearing my balaclava in the glaring sunshine and not breaking a sweat: Windy and cold.

Down at Hellen Lake, starting around noon, you could wear shorts and no shirt... be ready to fight off a sunburn from hell, though.

Do you guys think I may get frost bite on my middle extremity if I attempt a winter day-hike in boxer briefs? Or will I stay safe if I move fast, and maybe wear one of those kickboxing protectors?

I would think a banana hammock is all you need at this time of year...