Scouted out the north side yesterday. One can drive approximately 5 to 5.5 miles up toward the Northgate trailhead, depending on vehicle. This leaves about ~3.5 to 4 road miles to the trailhead. Military Pass proper is closed and not passable. Ice patches can be seen from afar on the Hotlam/Bolam route and Bolam glacier. These areas are no fall zones. Serious business. Overall, the northside has been wind blasted, and it shows.
The snow report for the area:
Station | Snow Depth (in) | 7 Day Settlement (in) | Mean 7 Day Temperature (ºF) |
Sand Flat | 44 | 1.2 | 35 |
Old Ski Bowl | 60 | .4 | 46 |
Castle Lake | 35 | 1.7 | 41 |
It's been high and dry since January 8th. On the mountain, surfaces are nothing close to smooth with wind, sun and dirt effects, and tracks. Ice and rockfall are the primary concern. Only the hardiest of souls continue to click skis on their feet. Most have abandoned ship and dug into the toy box for something else. We are not attempting to deter. It is quite the spectacle. Go check for yourself and get back to us.
Snow surfaces are softening up by late morning to early afternoon. Smooth snow is hard to find. Climbing conditions are pretty good, but it's still rough up there. Climb early, wear a helmet, and keep your head up. Be prepared for icy slopes and overhead, falling rock and ice hazards. Avalanches? What's that?
[Northside on 2.9.22 - Photo: N Meyers]
Everyone is a good weather forecaster these days.... Clear, sunny and warm -- nailed it. A warm and dry pattern continues through Sunday. Areas to the north and west of us might receive a blip of precipitation on Monday, but not much for Shasta. Right now, 0.03 inches of water is in the forecast, hardly a wetting rain. For today, the here and now, wind is out of the NE and should be light. Temperatures will be in the low to mid 50's near treeline. Seek and enjoy!
Image displaying January precipitation rankings. California's San Joaquin Valley and Central/Southern Sierra with pockets of the Sacramento Valley and western Nevada the driest on record. [Source: WestWide Drought Tracker]