Early Season Ride in the Old Ski Bowl

A quick ride to the Old Ski Bowl on the south side of Mount Shasta revealed the height of snow to range from 30-90cm (1-3ft) throughout the 7000-9000ft levels. It is definitely possible to ski and ride, but the snowpack is just beginning to build, and things are thin and boney out there right now. Be on the lookout for rocks, stumps, and any other objects buried just below the snow surface.

No recent avalanches, shooting cracks, or collapses were observed. Wind transport of snow was visible in areas 10,000ft and higher. Continuous snow exists at the 6000ft level and above. Two test pits were dug during the outing today – at 8400ft and 8900ft, both on south facing aspects. No significant signs of instability were observed. Compression tests resulted in resistant planar fractures with medium to hard force, and extended column tests did not produce propagation. Failures occurred on density breaks within the top 20-30cm of new snow, and at the old snow/new snow interface, which is now buried 30-60cm below the surface.

Terrain 7500ft and up on Mount Shasta is where skiing and riding is most realistic in the advisory area right now. Our snowpack is dense and supportable with boot penetration ranging from 5-20cm.  Snow surfaces were soft in many areas, but sun effect on southerly aspects was noticable by the end of the day.