Dchromey Posted March 11, 2013 Posted March 11, 2013 Hey just wondering if anybody from Washington is eyeing avalanche gulch this summer on mt shasta? I would like if i could hitch a ride to california if anyone is going. I got all the specific gear excluding snowshoes. I got crampons, mountaineering boots and the right clothes. Send me a message if you are interested in bringing me along Thank you! Darren Quote
christophbenells Posted March 14, 2013 Posted March 14, 2013 amtrack has a train that goes down there... Quote
Dchromey Posted March 17, 2013 Author Posted March 17, 2013 Im trying to have an alpine expierence with a fellow climber that has the same interests as me. Don't get my hopes down Quote
pink Posted March 17, 2013 Posted March 17, 2013 amtrack has a train that goes down there... Â Â trains are ghey, a bus would be cheaper! Quote
Buckaroo Posted March 17, 2013 Posted March 17, 2013 I don't know why more people aren't interested in Shasta. The weather is much better than Rainier. The approaches are more open forest, so you don't have to stick to the trails if you don't want. The nearest town is higher elevation for better acclimatization. Quote
Dchromey Posted March 18, 2013 Author Posted March 18, 2013 Thanks man! Shasta is a 14er but maybe the routes are a bit easier. Your not going over glaciers or crevasses like rainier. I wanna do rainier too but I want to give shasta a shot Quote
Buckaroo Posted March 19, 2013 Posted March 19, 2013 Thanks man! Shasta is a 14er but maybe the routes are a bit easier. Your not going over glaciers or crevasses like rainier.  I don't think Shasta is much easier than Rainier. There's still quite a few glaciers and crevasses on Shasta, but maybe the normal route has less. I think Shasta gets more freeze/thaw so you have a better chance for hard ice especially late season. I did the Hotlum/Wintun with a snowfield variation. It was boilerplate ice.  Pic of the NW side from a road trip back in November    Quote
Buckaroo Posted March 19, 2013 Posted March 19, 2013 I think the normal route goes up near the right skyline   Quote
Alex Posted March 19, 2013 Posted March 19, 2013 Hope you get your hookup, but fwiw it's an easy solo day hike if you start early enough. Â The Avalanche Gulch route is a walkup. At most, crampons and ice axe needed. Skis help if you are there early enough in the year. Quote
Dchromey Posted March 19, 2013 Author Posted March 19, 2013 Thanks for the pics. I'd do the avalanche gulch. I got the gear, I just wanna go with someone who has the same interest in me in doing shasta. Quote
rocky_joe Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 this pic only shows the very top of the route, from the bottom of misery hill up, which is the usual finish to avi gulch, casaval ridge, sargeants ridge, west face and cascade gulch. Avi gulch, the standard route, is well out of the frame of this photo. Â I'll add another shout for Shasta being a pretty easy single day solo. I don't know if you ski, but if you, you should bring them. It turns a 3-4hr descent into 1 hr and makes finding a partner much, much easier. Good luck and have fun! Quote
96avs01 Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 Here's a bit more usable perspective, Shasta from Castle Crag: Â Â View of Green Butte Ridge and adjacent Avy Gulch: Â Â Take the skis/splitboard if you have one. Quote
Dchromey Posted March 20, 2013 Author Posted March 20, 2013 thanks man for the confidence. i dont ski..now this may seem a bit corny but i want to get up and down the mountain with the body i am given with. Push my body to the limits. Eventually when i get older ill get into skiing, but for me as a 20 year old, i like to keep it interesting. id probably go down but stay another night on the night after summitting. I just dont like rushing down the mountain,i wanna slow things down Darren Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 (edited) Postholing is more interesting than skiing? Â And here I could have saved myself all that money.... Â Skis are just stretched out crampons with the points cut off, no? Edited March 20, 2013 by tvashtarkatena Quote
Buckaroo Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 Postholing is more interesting than skiing? Â And here I could have saved myself all that money.... Â Skis are just stretched out crampons with the points cut off, no? Â Skiers, STAY OFF our climbing routes. Â And you are going to look funny trying to climb waterfall ice with those long skinny boards strapped to your feet. Â Quote
Buckaroo Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 thanks man for the confidence. i dont ski..now this may seem a bit corny but i want to get up and down the mountain with the body i am given with. Push my body to the limits. Eventually when i get older ill get into skiing, but for me as a 20 year old, i like to keep it interesting. id probably go down but stay another night on the night after summitting. I just dont like rushing down the mountain,i wanna slow things down Darren  You should camp at 10,000ft or something. I camped around 11k when I soloed the Hotlum Wintun. Good for sunset/sunrise viewing. Quote
tvashtarkatena Posted March 20, 2013 Posted March 20, 2013 I've got short pointy skis for waterfalls. Quote
Dchromey Posted March 20, 2013 Author Posted March 20, 2013 Thanks for the info man, I've gotten my routes planned out I just need a partner  Quote
christophbenells Posted March 25, 2013 Posted March 25, 2013 amtrack has a train that goes down there... Â Â trains are ghey, a bus would be cheaper! Â yeah right! train has a bar car bro Quote
Pete04 Posted March 31, 2013 Posted March 31, 2013 Â This pic is me on the ridge (Green Butte) climber's right of Avalanche Gulch. Due to weather, I didn't make it past Thumb Rock, but Avalanche Gulch was pretty straightforward. Â I'd prefer to ski, but if you're looking for someone to climb with PM me. Depending on the dates, I'll be around. Â Â Quote
Sig Olsen Posted May 21, 2013 Posted May 21, 2013 I miss Shasta. I went up last year. I would love to go and set up camp near misery hill just to see what it would be like at night in those winds. Epic mountain for me, but a speed bump for others. I do not think you will be disappointed. There were tons of people there when I got there in the end of June 2012. I met someone on my way up and we stuck together to helen lake. He did not attempt to summit, but there were plenty others to go up with if I wanted too. There were only 3 or 4 others that got to the top after me and they came from the parking lot. Tip - make sure you have proper glissading pants. I glissaded from the red banks back to camp at 10,700. 2500 ft in less than 30 minutes. Quote
Dchromey Posted May 21, 2013 Author Posted May 21, 2013 Thanks man yeah I'm going in early July. Got my glissading pants and I'm ready for it Quote
Off_White Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 I don't know why more people aren't interested in Shasta. The weather is much better than Rainier. The approaches are more open forest, so you don't have to stick to the trails if you don't want. The nearest town is higher elevation for better acclimatization. Â While only a little lower, Shasta isn't a tenth the mountain Rainer is, that's why they aren't as interested. Shasta's glaciers are unimpressive. That's not to say it isn't fun, in a regular route on Hood, Adams, or St Helens kind of way, and its a worthy stepping stone for folks learning that sort of alpine climbing, it just doesn't have the complexity or challenges that the Big R offers. Â Oh, taking the train there? What a great idea, post a TR when you're back. Quote
Dchromey Posted May 22, 2013 Author Posted May 22, 2013 Taking a train would be long but cool scenery. I got my climbing partner for July and we are good to go Quote
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