Mount Shasta, South Side, Giddy Giddy Gulch, Cascade Gulch, McBride Springs
Quick report
We picked our way up from Bunny Flat to Horse Camp, and continued on up Giddy Giddy Gulch to 8,900 feet on southerly and easterly aspects. Surfaces are a mix of soft snow 6–12 inches deep in leeward terrain (southerly and easterly), and a thin breakable crust in wind exposed terrain (westerly and northerly). Wind has been primarily blowing out of the west. Avalanche danger was hard to come by. Extreme terrain could hold isolated hanging drifts and big cornices. Drifts measure up to two feet deep. Best sliding surfaces are near treeline in protected terrain. Continue to watch out for very icy surfaces along ridges and exposed moraines in the alpine. Our ski descent took us 4,000 vertical feet down to McBride Springs, where the snowpack is thin. When you start at Bunny Flat, you can double your money! Happy New Year gang, keep it pro out there.
The snow behaved well today. Six to twelve inches of soft snow sits on top of crust. New snow is well bonded to crust below. Snow depths increase with elevation. Drifts up to two feet deep were observed in leeward south and east terrain along ridges. We did not observe any red flags.Weather
- Air Temp
- 22
- Cloud Cover
- obscured
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Recent Snowfall
- 15-30
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Obscured sky, light precipitation, less than one inch accumulation during daylight hours. Westerly wind, 5-20 mi/hr, near and above treeline, gusty with lulls. Difficult visibility. Relied on a stringer of trees to navigate. Some snow available for wind transport, but no active loading observed. Temperatures lingering in the low 20s F
Snowpack
Soft snow rests on top of older, crusty snow surfaces. Near Bunny Flat, only a few inches of new snow exists. As you gain elevation, depth increases 6-12 inches. Some areas are scoured to old snow and/or firm, breakable wind effected snow. Watch for icy surfaces above treeline. At our Old Ski Bowl weather station, 91 inches of snow is on the ground.