Quick report
Strong northwesterly wind above 8,500 feet on Mount Shasta today. Much of the snowpack is capped by a zipper crust. Good coverage exists for sliding and riding. Below treeline, snowmobilers continue to be cautious for hard objects.
Despite a lot of blowing snow, none was observed loading in steep terrain. Most blowing snow was sublimating into the atmosphere, or collecting in lower angle depressions.Weather
- Air Temp
- 23
- Cloud Cover
- clear
- Wind Loading
- light
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Full northwesterly blow on the mountain above 8,500 feet today. Temps were in the 20s F.
Snowpack
There are 78 inches of snow on the ground at treeline in the Old Ski Bowl, 7,800 feet. A widespread crust dominates most of the snowpack up to at least 10,000 feet. It is of varied thickness. Near treeline terrain that is sheltered and low-lying hosts the softest feeling snow and thinnest crust. Wild, glacier-like sastrugi formations bend over saddles in between moraines in high wind areas.
Avalanche
Blowing snow is a red flag of avalanches danger, and there was certainly a lot of that happening in the alpine, but no avalanches or signs of instability were observed. None-the-less, it would be prudent to be watchful for drifted areas in extreme terrain above treeline. Below treeline, roller balls were active.