Alpinist wrote:... did you get any snow this week? I was planning to climb Mt Shasta in May but I think we're going to head further north now. I know winter is only half over but it doesn't look very promising there for a snow climb.
If I were traveling from afar, attempting to make long-term plans, I'd probably follow those instincts. Personally, when looking at trips in California over the next few months, I'm looking at the silver lining of taking advantage of rare winter and spring conditions.
From webcams and from the report below, it looks like there was only a dusting of snow on Shasta (the Sierra and coast had more):
http://shastaavalanche.org/Beyond 3-5 days, we know things can change, but it looks like there will likely be decent snowfall next weekend:
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/610day/index.phpThen, there may be another dry spell:
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/814day/index.phpThe (much less reliable) long term outlook for California suggests a good chance of continuing below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures all the way through winter and spring. If a more typical pattern ends up developing, the Northstate generally has a better shot at substantial spring precipitation than points south. We'll see.
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/multi_season/13_seasonal_outlooks/color/churchill.phpAll that being said, images and detailed condition reports from Bubba, mrchad, climbr, and others, are more fun to look at and may give clues as to what is likely on specific Shasta routes.