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Hey, does anyone know what the snow line is on mount shasta right now? I'm thinking about doing a solo trip in a few weeks, and would like to travel on the whitney glacier or via cascade gulch, which could be dangerous for a solo traveler if there's a lot of snow.

Pics of the Whitney Glacier from three weeks ago available here:

beautiful-shasta-current-conditions-t65450.html

sfgfan10 wrote:. . . which could be dangerous for a solo traveler if there's a lot of snow.

clmbr wrote:

sfgfan10 wrote:. . . which could be dangerous for a solo traveler if there's a lot of snow.

I'm not sure if that was a "I don't get why that's dangerous", or something else. It could be dangerous because if there's significant snow on the glaciers, the crevasses could be covered up, and as a solo mountaineer nobody would be able to self arrest me if I don't see one and fall in.

Isn't a little snow on the glacier worse than a lot, if solo?

sfgfan10 wrote:

clmbr wrote:

sfgfan10 wrote:. . . which could be dangerous for a solo traveler if there's a lot of snow.

I'm not sure if that was a "I don't get why that's dangerous", or something else. It could be dangerous because if there's significant snow on the glaciers, the crevasses could be covered up, and as a solo mountaineer nobody would be able to self arrest me if I don't see one and fall in.

I believe you are making a joke here; otherwise, I would really discourage you from entering the glacier. It seems you have no idea what you are talking about.

mrchad9 wrote:Isn't a little snow on the glacier worse than a lot, if solo?

Sorta. If there's a lot of snow, you can't necessarily see the crevasses, which makes solo travel dangerous. If there's a little snow covering the whole glacier, then it's more dangerous because you still might not be able to see the crevasses. If there's so little snow that it's in patches, however, you can just avoid the patches and stay on the bare ice. The only downside to bare ice is that it's hard to stop a fall, so you have to be more careful with falling and ice protection. Basically, I'm hoping it'll just be patchy snow.

clmbr wrote:

sfgfan10 wrote:

clmbr wrote:

sfgfan10 wrote:. . . which could be dangerous for a solo traveler if there's a lot of snow.

I'm not sure if that was a "I don't get why that's dangerous", or something else. It could be dangerous because if there's significant snow on the glaciers, the crevasses could be covered up, and as a solo mountaineer nobody would be able to self arrest me if I don't see one and fall in.

I believe you are making a joke here; otherwise, I would really discourage you from entering the glacier. It seems you have no idea what you are talking about.

On the "knowing what I'm doing part": I just got back from a 2 week trip on the Nelchina Glacier in Alaska. We traveled through ice, "firn zone", and roped travel on snow. We didn't get to climb anything due to a combination of bad weather and a particularly long crevasse (my guess is that it was at least 1/2 a mile long, and at least 10 feet wide in some parts. It covered almost the entire width of the glacier.).

What I meant is that between having patchy snow on a glacier and having the glacier completely covered with snow, I'd rather have patchy snow. That way I can just stay to the ice, where I can see all the crevasses from a distance. I recognize that it's worse to be on steep ice than steep snow if I fall, but that's a matter of keeping good footing, not putting myself in a dangerous position, etc. If the only choice is between a little snow covering the whole glacier and a lot of snow covering the whole glacier, then a lot of snow could be better because at least if I do step onto a crevasse, then the snow bridge (if there is one) might be able to hold me. If it's between patchy snow and snow covering the whole glacier, tho, I'd rather have patchy snow that I can just avoid.

If you need a partner I know a guy who is putting on clinics on the mountain. He might be able to fit a summit attempt into his curriculum.

mrchad9 wrote:If you need a partner I know a guy who is putting on clinics on the mountain. He might be able to fit a summit attempt into his curriculum.

If you're talking about me paying for a guided trip, I'd have to think about it (those are expensive). If you're talking about me tagging along for free and maybe helping them out in some capacity, I'm more open to that.

Alternatively, I'd be open to climbing it with them during one of his breaks, preferably via one of the glaciated routes (I'm always on the lookout for climbing partners).

Either way, let me know what the situation is with that!

sfgfan10 wrote:On the "knowing what I'm doing part": I just got back from a 2 week trip on the Nelchina Glacier in Alaska. . .

Bad argument. I've heard about three guys who just climbed in Alaska Denali and (2 of them) disappeared without a trace on Mt Hood. One was found 2 weeks later in the snow cave.

What I meant is that between having patchy snow on a glacier and having the glacier completely covered with snow, I'd rather have patchy snow. That way I can just stay to the ice, where I can see all the crevasses from a distance. I recognize that it's worse to be on steep ice than steep snow if I fall, but that's a matter of keeping good footing, not putting myself in a dangerous position, etc. If the only choice is between a little snow covering the whole glacier and a lot of snow covering the whole glacier, then a lot of snow could be better because at least if I do step onto a crevasse, then the snow bridge (if there is one) might be able to hold me. If it's between patchy snow and snow covering the whole glacier, tho, I'd rather have patchy snow that I can just avoid.

Your explanations sounds like you are a troll or very inexperienced (glacier wise) and have no idea what you are talking about; otherwise, you would not even talk about that stuff, definitely not that way.

How much for him to join one of your clinics?

mrchad9 wrote:How much for him to join one of your clinics?

I think you can take him. You have recently become a glacier expert; also you've climbed more routes on Shasta.

But we focus on the climbing and not the skills... you say he needs help with the latter!

mrchad9 wrote:But we focus on the climbing and not the skills... you say he needs help with the latter!

Did I? According to the OP he knows how to climb (use crampons and ice ax). He just needs someone to walk him safely through the glacier (no crevasse jumping) up to the top.