Shasta on Thursday

I'm planning to climb Shasta on Thursday via the West face gully, hiking in and camping tomorrow. Anyone care to join or offer advice?

You can call The Fifth Season or Shasta Base Camp both stores very knowledgeable.

Probably need to start very early (midnight?) and hope for a freeze.

Did Hotlum-Wintun Ridge last weekend and found conditions to be quite nice (firm snow for climbing). Started from 9900' just before 4am, summitted by 8:30 or so. It was a bit windy overnight which probably helped.

Nice campsites near running (though a bit silty) water and a nearby tongue of snow that led all the way up to where the route crosses over the ridge @ ~12500'. After that, no need to touch rock until just below the summit.

By 10am the snow was soft enough for some nice glissading (sitting and standing). Saw a skier or two.

Shastaavalanche.org usually has decent conditions reports.

Thanks for the tips. I did the West face last Friday, left camp in Hidden Valley at 1:30 and summitted at 7, camp by 1030, car by 130, and Portland by 8:00. Long day.

Conditions were very nice, with the snow still crisp at 10 on the west face as it was just getting sun. Traveled to the summit on snow except for Misery Hill, but there is a trail through soft sand that i did without taking off my crampons. There was also a crappy rock-snow mix for~150 feet, maybe 300-400 ft below the lip of the west face. It was stable and icy, just a bit annoying.

Other than that, i learned a valuable lesson. Don't glissade sitting down on icy snow. My rain pants make it look like I was attacked by a german shepherd.