Wallylongridge - Apr 11, 2006 8:22 pm Date Climbed: Aug 18, 1990
Old Ski Resort
This was the best glissade i've ever done
MichaelJ - Mar 27, 2006 11:24 pm Date Climbed: May 7, 2005
Green Butte
Headed up Green Butte Ridge by accident, camping on a narrow ridge around 11k. Headed for summit at night; stopped below Misery Hill as weather went south. Retreated and after packing up camp had to descend in a whiteout. See TR for details.
jakefrisbee - Mar 14, 2006 8:24 pm Date Climbed: Jul 30, 2005
Avalanche-Gulch
Summited with my wife and what seemed like half the state of California. A friend of ours saw a guy take an early morning glissade attempt that resulted in a 1,000'+ rag doll from the Red Banks area. Don't glissade on ice, people!
tjbst47 - Mar 8, 2006 9:02 pm Date Climbed: Jun 10, 2005
Mount Shasta
Partner got sick, but I went to summit via Avalanche Gulch.
Climbed twice, Once by Avalanche Gulch and once via Hotlum Glacier Left. Windy and stormy the first time but had superb weather on the Hotlum...that is an excellent route.
ascendingzion - Feb 27, 2006 9:29 pm Date Climbed: Jun 22, 2004
Avalanche Gulch
My first alpine climb and a great bachelor party for my friend Daniel! Got a late start on Summit Day and certainly learned my lesson nearly missing a whiteout on the summit plateau that rushed in as we descended Misery Hill. The glissade was great, Bagger lost control on a safe runout above Helen. He suffered no injuries though; it was hillarious!
EManBevHills - Feb 25, 2006 6:06 pm Date Climbed: Jun 21, 1999
Avalanch Gulch on 3 pins
Able to ski from near the top!
Snidely Whiplash - Feb 23, 2006 4:07 pm Date Climbed: Jul 6, 1996
Avalanche Gulch
Best Glissade of my entire life. From the Red Banks to Lake Helen in 5 minutes!
trinityalpsman - Feb 20, 2006 4:02 am Date Climbed: Sep 3, 1971
Mt. Shasta
First climbed 'Ol Shasta September 1972 via Avalanche Gulch. Rev. Smith was camping near the hot springs protesting the Viet Nam War. We chatted for awhile. Twenty years later, 1994, my son and I again climbed the Friendly Giant. Both times my big mistake was to climb late in the year without snow which makes it much more difficult.
Mike N - Feb 19, 2006 11:20 pm Date Climbed: Feb 10, 2006
Casaval Ridge
Beautiful conditions. However, we underestimated how long it would take breaking trail. We turned around near 12000 feet. I would recommend starting as high as you can and get up early, especially if there are no tracks to follow.
KCWA - Feb 17, 2006 6:34 pm Date Climbed: May 2, 2004
Casaval Ridge
Crampon didn't work as well as I thought it would on my snowboard boots and stopped at about 12,000ft. As it was still early the ride back to camp was fast and icy.
KCWA - Feb 17, 2006 6:30 pm Date Climbed: Jul 4, 1998
Casaval Ridge
It was a big winter so there was still plenty of snow on Casaval Ridge. Very warm and wish I'd have brought skis for the descent!
Route Climbed: avalanche gulch Date Climbed: july fourth 2004
We hit the trail from bunny flats at 6:00 am on the third of july hiked briskly into the sierra horse camp drank from the well/spring. Headed out across obermans causeway a stone path built across the fragile alpine meadows. We headed up the long scree ridge with the morning sun glaring down at us. It wasn't long before we hit the realm of snow and slogged are way into camp at helen lake at 10,500 ft. There was no lake but there was excellent campsites excavated from the snowbanks. we spent the day acclimatizing. When night befell us we were literally living in a tent city with cook tents and porters (I am not kidding) We decided on a very early start and four out of the seven of us awoke and set forth for the summit at 12:00am. It was a little tough at first getting the body going in the thinner atmospher. We really fired up however and practically ran up the heart and through the notch in the red banks topped out for a break and removed are crampons for a run up a bare misery hill. I was starting to feel naseaus above 13000 ft . A little later as we were crossing the summit caldera I was accosted by the stench of sulpher springs bubbling and spewing away. I would not be deterred however and i continued up the summit pinnacle. There was a little complex of summits and we decided we would have to stand on all of them. we were all high fives and happy to put a fourteener in the books. The register is fastened to the saddle between these mini summits and we all with shivering shaking fingers at 4:15 am signed the register. The view at this time of morning is well dark! We were joined by a pine marten at the summit while we quickly snacked. It was way beyond cold up there and we bailed down the pinnacle past the stench and out over the caldera then the morning began to dawn supreme and the majesty that is shasta began to show her self off. We were the first to summit on the day of are countries independance. We did not see any other climbers until; we were in the red banks. We arrived back in camp 7;30am what a butt kicker we were all just wasted I will be back for a day time climb.
Route Climbed: Avi Gulch Date Climbed: July 4, 2005
It was the 10 year anniversary of my first summit trip on this mountain and my friend Phil's first attempt on any summit. We camped just below Helen Lake as it was a busy weekend. We had a beautiful spot with nobody around. We woke and hit the trail at 3ish, as one does. But Phil started feeling the elevation at Red Banks so we stopped, had a snack, and basked in the warm sun. We decided to go back down the mountain at that point, try again another day.
Route Climbed: Avi Gulch Date Climbed: August 1999
I took a group of friends up via Avi Gulch, two fell out before Helen Lake. Three of us made it up with awesome weather and hiked back down. Great weekend!
atavist - Apr 20, 2006 8:38 am
avalanche gulchthis mountain found itself underneath my crampons during Memorial Day weekend in 2005. There was a fair amount of snow and the view was pretty good.
climbwild - Apr 17, 2006 1:42 pm Date Climbed: Sep 15, 2004
Avalanche GulchClimbed it bare. Easier and safer to do it with snow on it. Bivied directly under the Red Banks, 5 feet away.
Mt. Shasta Avalanche Gulch .
Avalanche Gulch , on my website, climbwild.net/ .
To see a trip report -
I have a route page,
Hi, Sam!
Wallylongridge - Apr 11, 2006 8:22 pm Date Climbed: Aug 18, 1990
Old Ski ResortThis was the best glissade i've ever done
MichaelJ - Mar 27, 2006 11:24 pm Date Climbed: May 7, 2005
Green ButteHeaded up Green Butte Ridge by accident, camping on a narrow ridge around 11k. Headed for summit at night; stopped below Misery Hill as weather went south. Retreated and after packing up camp had to descend in a whiteout. See TR for details.
jakefrisbee - Mar 14, 2006 8:24 pm Date Climbed: Jul 30, 2005
Avalanche-GulchSummited with my wife and what seemed like half the state of California. A friend of ours saw a guy take an early morning glissade attempt that resulted in a 1,000'+ rag doll from the Red Banks area. Don't glissade on ice, people!
tjbst47 - Mar 8, 2006 9:02 pm Date Climbed: Jun 10, 2005
Mount ShastaPartner got sick, but I went to summit via Avalanche Gulch.
Brian Frederick - Mar 5, 2006 10:16 pm
Avalache and HotlumClimbed twice, Once by Avalanche Gulch and once via Hotlum Glacier Left. Windy and stormy the first time but had superb weather on the Hotlum...that is an excellent route.
ascendingzion - Feb 27, 2006 9:29 pm Date Climbed: Jun 22, 2004
Avalanche GulchMy first alpine climb and a great bachelor party for my friend Daniel! Got a late start on Summit Day and certainly learned my lesson nearly missing a whiteout on the summit plateau that rushed in as we descended Misery Hill. The glissade was great, Bagger lost control on a safe runout above Helen. He suffered no injuries though; it was hillarious!
EManBevHills - Feb 25, 2006 6:06 pm Date Climbed: Jun 21, 1999
Avalanch Gulch on 3 pinsAble to ski from near the top!
Snidely Whiplash - Feb 23, 2006 4:07 pm Date Climbed: Jul 6, 1996
Avalanche GulchBest Glissade of my entire life. From the Red Banks to Lake Helen in 5 minutes!
trinityalpsman - Feb 20, 2006 4:02 am Date Climbed: Sep 3, 1971
Mt. ShastaFirst climbed 'Ol Shasta September 1972 via Avalanche Gulch. Rev. Smith was camping near the hot springs protesting the Viet Nam War. We chatted for awhile. Twenty years later, 1994, my son and I again climbed the Friendly Giant. Both times my big mistake was to climb late in the year without snow which makes it much more difficult.
Mike N - Feb 19, 2006 11:20 pm Date Climbed: Feb 10, 2006
Casaval RidgeBeautiful conditions. However, we underestimated how long it would take breaking trail. We turned around near 12000 feet. I would recommend starting as high as you can and get up early, especially if there are no tracks to follow.
KCWA - Feb 17, 2006 6:34 pm Date Climbed: May 2, 2004
Casaval RidgeCrampon didn't work as well as I thought it would on my snowboard boots and stopped at about 12,000ft. As it was still early the ride back to camp was fast and icy.
KCWA - Feb 17, 2006 6:30 pm Date Climbed: Jul 4, 1998
Casaval RidgeIt was a big winter so there was still plenty of snow on Casaval Ridge. Very warm and wish I'd have brought skis for the descent!
b_betts - Feb 16, 2006 9:30 pm
Route Climbed: Avalanche GulchGlissading down was the most fun!
missadventure - Feb 8, 2006 11:21 pm
Route Climbed: avalanche gulch, casaval ridge, seargent's ridge, north side, west face, shastina Date Climbed: too many to count, first ascent 1999i work for shasta mountain guides, so there are weeks when i climb this thing 3-4 times....it's a great place to work!
cascadetraveler - Jan 21, 2006 11:41 pm
Route Climbed: avalanche gulch Date Climbed: july fourth 2004We hit the trail from bunny flats at 6:00 am on the third of july hiked briskly into the sierra horse camp drank from the well/spring. Headed out across obermans causeway a stone path built across the fragile alpine meadows. We headed up the long scree ridge with the morning sun glaring down at us. It wasn't long before we hit the realm of snow and slogged are way into camp at helen lake at 10,500 ft. There was no lake but there was excellent campsites excavated from the snowbanks. we spent the day acclimatizing. When night befell us we were literally living in a tent city with cook tents and porters (I am not kidding) We decided on a very early start and four out of the seven of us awoke and set forth for the summit at 12:00am. It was a little tough at first getting the body going in the thinner atmospher. We really fired up however and practically ran up the heart and through the notch in the red banks topped out for a break and removed are crampons for a run up a bare misery hill. I was starting to feel naseaus above 13000 ft . A little later as we were crossing the summit caldera I was accosted by the stench of sulpher springs bubbling and spewing away. I would not be deterred however and i continued up the summit pinnacle. There was a little complex of summits and we decided we would have to stand on all of them. we were all high fives and happy to put a fourteener in the books. The register is fastened to the saddle between these mini summits and we all with shivering shaking fingers at 4:15 am signed the register. The view at this time of morning is well dark! We were joined by a pine marten at the summit while we quickly snacked. It was way beyond cold up there and we bailed down the pinnacle past the stench and out over the caldera then the morning began to dawn supreme and the majesty that is shasta began to show her self off. We were the first to summit on the day of are countries independance. We did not see any other climbers until; we were in the red banks. We arrived back in camp 7;30am what a butt kicker we were all just wasted I will be back for a day time climb.
Koohnavard - Jan 16, 2006 12:02 pm
Route Climbed: Avi Gulch Date Climbed: July 4, 2005It was the 10 year anniversary of my first summit trip on this mountain and my friend Phil's first attempt on any summit. We camped just below Helen Lake as it was a busy weekend. We had a beautiful spot with nobody around. We woke and hit the trail at 3ish, as one does. But Phil started feeling the elevation at Red Banks so we stopped, had a snack, and basked in the warm sun. We decided to go back down the mountain at that point, try again another day.
Koohnavard - Jan 16, 2006 11:53 am
Route Climbed: Avi Gulch Date Climbed: August 1999I took a group of friends up via Avi Gulch, two fell out before Helen Lake. Three of us made it up with awesome weather and hiked back down. Great weekend!
Koohnavard - Jan 16, 2006 11:50 am
Route Climbed: Avi Gulch Date Climbed: July 4, 1995My buddy Scott and I climbed it on our way home to Washington from Monterey, CA. Beautiful climb and wonderful area.