Words by Dierker, photos by Dani. (A version of this was published on Skiing Magazine's website: http://www.skinet.com/skiing/articles/spring-skiing-southern-cascades)
The spring is a very special time of the year for all backcountry skiers. The days are longer, ski fitness levels are high and there is something about skiing in a t-shirt or skirt that can make everyone smile. As April 1st has come and gone here in the Front Range, spring conditions have so far been elusive; however, this is not the case for the Southern Cascades of California and Oregon due to drought conditions.
For two springs now, Dani and I have attempted to arrange our lives in a way that we could get away from a week to explore the Cascades and visit friends. We vowed at the start of this winter that this spring would be the spring, and we set about our training and penny saving. We fretted over gear choices, weather forecasts, dismal snowfall and last minute itinerary changes. The biggest goal that never changed was to ski Avalanche Gulch on Mt. Shasta with Dani’s dad, Dan. The winter flew by and last week we finally escaped the Front Range thunderstorms and traffic jams for some West Coast spring skiing.
LASSEN
The drive from Boulder to Lassen Volcanic National Park was long, but straightforward. We arrived late and immediately set up camp and crashed to mellow temperatures and a light breeze in the old growth red fir. Neither of us had been to the park and were blown away as we drove up Lassen National Park Highway at dawn the next morning. May 22, 2015 marks the centennial of Lassen Peak’s eruption, which then prompted the Park’s formation. Snow levels generally dictate the road opening, but this year the highway opened May 2 due to minimal amounts of snow removal required.
We chose to ski the Southeast Face as a warm up for our trip. Access is very straightforward from the Lassen Peak Trailhead and follows most of the summer hiker’s trail. Its a short route but very scenic, and felt pretty nice on the legs after sitting in the car for 17 hours the day before. We gained the summit after a mellow 2-½ hour hike at the top of a beautiful 2000 ft. 35 degree slope. There were only a pair of tracks from the day before (when access was relegated to bikes) and we enjoyed rallying back to the parking lot on firm corn, not wanting to fall in shorts. Three hours round trip put us back at our car and heading down the road feeling fresh and with high spirits. [Click photos to enlarge.]
SHASTA
Repacking gear and picking up Dan, in Rocklin, CA, we then headed north to give Mt. Shasta a shot. The weather had changed after our balmy Lassen ski. Despite precipitation and 60 mph winds forecasted, we started the hike up the bare trail from Bunny Flat in running shoes. A couple of miles up the trail we reached the Sierra Club Hut and chatted with a very helpful Shasta Mountain Guide. After a team discussion we decided to camp there at tree line rather than continue up to Lake Helen and deal with the overnight high winds sleeping on snow. We pitched the tent and went for a short afternoon soft snow lap, enjoying the sun and the vastness of Mt. Shasta. To be honest though, we were pretty bummed. Low, dark clouds rolled overhead and sat on the summit, and grauple intermittently pinged off our metal cups as we ate dinner.
The next morning we left camp at 4 am planning on battling the wind up to Lake Helen and then lapping the moraines from there. However, as we headed above tree line, it was clear the wind was not going to show up, or at least any time soon. We nervously continued through the moraines and a few thousand feet later we switched from skins to crampons and axes and headed up Avalanche Gulch. After pushing through Misery Hill with light wind and blue bird skis, we summited in slight disbelief around noon, signed the summit log and clicked into skis. We couldn’t believe our luck. Our experience with mountain weather in the Rockies and Tetons seemed to be fairly different than what we were seeing and knew about the Cascades—how these relatively solitary peaks can create their own weather. Watching the clouds build and dissipate below us from the summit of Shasta was impressive. The top 1,000 ft of skiing was pretty awful. Above the Red Banks, we slowly worked our way down the chicken heads of ice and sastrugi while trying to keep our teeth in our heads. After dropping through the bright red conglomerate of the Red Banks, the snow softened fantastically and our quads quaked through another 5,000 vertical feet of spring velvet and slush turns back to the tent.
It felt great to find success in something we had planned and trained for, for so long. Dan had wanted to ski Shasta for years and I had a hard time not smiling as I ate an enormous double bacon cheeseburger at a diner in Mt. Shasta to celebrate.
BEND AND THE SOUTH SISTER
Dan headed back to Rocklin and Dani and I continued to Bend, OR. That evening, wind, grapple and rain set in. We took two down days in Bend, biking around in the rain and exploring town and the Deschutes river with good friends. Definitely check out Jackson’s Corner for a mind-blowing breakfast or lunch and 10 Barrel Brewing for a quality patio and craft beers.
Bend is nestled in amongst the Three Sisters, Broken Top Peak and Mt. Bachelor. As the weather cleared, we took the opportunity to head up South Sister Peak via the South Ridge. Another mellow 5,000 vertical foot climb starting in running shoes, ending in crampons and ice axes, and then culminating in several thousand feet of glorious corn turns. The Three Sisters Range did not disappoint.
Out of gas, out of time and with a late season winter storm hammering I-80 we begrudgingly had to hit the road headed back to Colorado. This trip was our introduction to skiing the Cascade volcanoes. Standing on top of South Sister looking north at the Middle and North Sisters, Adams, St. Helens and envisioning the other beautiful peaks strewn around the Northwest, I’m hooked. Hopefully this will be just the beginning of our exploration of a very cool part of the country. This season might not have been the deepest, but coverage was aplenty for a spring corn harvest this season.
If you want to check out the Cascades for yourself, pick up a copy of Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Routes for Washington and Oregon. Christopher Van Tilburg writes the Oregon edition, and the Washington edition is written by Martin Volken and a supporting cast of very impressive guides. Also check out Amar Andalkar’s site www.skimountaineer.com. These were very helpful in our trip planning and give options for mellow ascents for hucking your meat in whatever way you see best.