Spring Skiing on the Mountain

Enjoy the Rain Jam on March 26th at the Mount Shasta Ski Park – if you want more leisurely skiing the  Mount Shasta Nortic Center’s 30km network of trails winding through deep forest, and open meadows are available nearby for those looking for a picturesque and peaceful nordic experience!!

Snow Falls On Mount Shasta, Skiers Rejoice, But Cautious

Siskiyou County’s skiers wait for the first snow of the season the same way children wait for Christmas.

Several inches of snow fell in Mount Shasta on Friday, and rumor has it a few hardy souls made their way up the mountain and carved a few turns.

First real snow of the year.

It’s far too early to declare ski season open (this snow could easily melt off, and early storms are often not followed by any more snowstorms for a month or more), but the backcountry skiers are happy, and it’s an encouraging sign.

Do your snow dance at the Snow Ball Jan 24th

The Snow Ball is the annual celebration of winter fun – a chance to get out and boogie. So come join the locals at the 7th Annual Friends of the Avalanche Center Snow Ball on Jan 24th at the Mt. Shasta City Park. Doors open at 6pm for socializing and perusing the wonderful selection of raffle and silent auction items that includes backcountry and avalanche related hardware, clothing and local business gift certificates with a grand prize of a complete avalanche safety package including beacon, shovel and probe.

Dinner is served at 6:30pm with chicken, beef and vegetarian selections from the fab team of barbecue-ers from the Mt. Shasta Supermarket. At 8pm The Bucky Walters Band brings it mix of modern Bluegrass to the stage. Be sure to bring your dancing shoes, because this crowd likes to boogie. You can dance till midnight in this winter festival that always draws a crowd.

The Snow Ball will be held at the Mt Shasta City Park, 1315 Nixon Road, in Mt Shasta. You can find tickets at The Fifth Season, Shasta Base Camp and Village Books. $27 includes dinner, band and raffle; $15 for band only after 8pm. Beer and wine will be for sale, and drinks are available for all ages.

Be sure to visit the  Friends of the Avalanche Center website for dates of the last of the Avalanche Awareness Presentations and Transceiver clinics to be held in February.

White Christmas!

It’s a snowy Christmas here in the land around Mt. Shasta. Yesterday, Wed, Dec 17th, the skies cleared in the Mt. Shasta area and we got to see a mountain freshly draped in snow. Out in the Shasta Valley it was foggy and cold, with a blanket of snow on the ground. With snow levels down to 400 feet forecasted for the storm coming today, Thurs, Dec 18th, the whole of Siskiyou County should be enjoying a white Christmas.

While we do love the white stuff, be sure to be careful and prepared if you’re traveling through Siskiyou County. With a series of storms coming through Siskiyou County, check the weather report before you travel and come prepared. You can check the Siskiyou County road report (530.842.4438), which gives detailed info for Highways 97, 89 and 3, as well as Interstate 5. Carry chains, extra food, water and clothing in your vehicle in case you get stuck in traffic or parked due to bad road conditions.

Do your best to enjoy the snow and Happy Holidays!

Mount Shasta with new snow!

The mountain is out after the storm, and she is glorious! This is the view from my neighborhood on the afternoon of Thursday, Nov 6th, 2008.

Same day – fall colors on the North Shore of Lake Siskiyou.

The first ski touring day on Mount Shasta!

Clicked into the skis for the first time today to go touring up at Sand Flat on the mountain. We (that being the dog and I) enjoyed about 6, maybe 8, inches of dry, fairly light snow and absolute quietude. We didn’t see another soul, and not even evidence of my husband’s tracks from yesterday. It’s so great to get out in the snow. We go kinda stir crazy here in Shasta when it starts snowing up on the mountain, and folks start thinking about which pair of skis to sacrifice for early season skiing (referred to as rock skis thereafter). Some folks went up to the ski the Old Ski Bowl a few days ago, in the midst of the storm, to get their first ski trip in. Looks like Everett Memorial Highway (the road up to treeline) got closed at Bunny Flat today – I saw a Caltrans truck heading up with a Road Closed sign, so I guess that’s it for easy driving to the Old Ski Bowl parking lot.

Sand Flat is such a great place to get outside – it’s about a 20 minute drive from town when the road is slick like it was this morning (I put it 4WD on the way up). Once you get into your skis or snowshoes, you’re heading out, and it’s just a little up hill and around a bend and then you’re away from it all. You’re skiing a road that takes you between towering trees caked in snow. It’s quiet except for the critters who live out there, and in my case, the jangling of my dog’s tags. We both love the mountain solitude of ski touring. There is so much to see and take in: the surprising lime green of lichen on the trees amid all of that grayscape, the symmetry of tree trunks, the patter of snowflakes falling on your face.

The road is mostly a gentle uphill until you get to the actual flat, then I like to tour around the flat, heading down the road first so I can try to get a glimpse of the mountain. Today she would not make an appearance: that skirt of clouds and fog lifted just enough to see the crags of Green Butte, but nothing more. She remained cloaked and mysterious and I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas morning to rip open the goodies. I can’t wait to see the new snow on the mountain – whether she’s fully blanketed, or if the ridgelines are still showing, giving her a stark look.  But today was gray and mostly cloudy, a tease of a day.

If you’re thinking about heading up for some early season touring, be sure to check in with the local outdoor shops, where you’re likely to get a first hand report about a recent ski trip. The folks at The Fifth Season and Shasta Basecamp can tell you about coverage and conditions (keep in mind that if coverage is thin they’re not likely to rent you a new pair of skis just so they can be returned as rock skis). You can also check in with the Forest Service Avalanche Center and Backcountry site at www.shastaavalanche.org, although I’m not sure if they’ve starting reporting yet, or if they’ll wait until after Thanksgiving to start. Anyway, take your time, drive carefully and be prepared for changing conditions. Oh, and  ENJOY yourselves.