Bunny Flat Old Ski Bowl

Today, Cory and I visited the Old Ski Bowl to assess the current conditions ahead of tonight’s storm. Overall, Mount Shasta has a healthy 168-inch (14-foot) snowpack near treeline, with excellent coverage, and smooth receiving surfaces. Recent warm weather has caused the snowpack to glue in place, with softening surfaces across all aspects and elevations.

Previous signs of wet-loose avalanche activity were largly present near treeline on southerly slopes, with no new signs or activity observed today. As temperatures cool, the risk of wet, unstable snow is decreasing. This problem will continue as a concern near and below treeline, specifically on E-S-W aspects, or if rainwater is introduced to the snowpack.

The alpine on Mount Shasta is in good shape. The West Face, Avalanche Gulch, and the Old Ski Bowl all host a robust snowpack with ideal coverage for climbing season. Bowls and gullies are well-filled in, and ridgelines are mostly snow-covered. Aside from some large wind ripples across open faces, wind texture is minimal. Windward west and northwest aspects have notably firmer surfaces due to wind chill, compared to leeward ones.

Tree wells are becoming very large and deep, look out!