Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby Tony Crocker » Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:23 pm

Ice Axe Expeditions, with whom I'll be doing the Antarctic cruise in November, recommended a training session for alpine touring. They referred me to Alpine Skills International for a 3-day trip on Mt. Shasta similar to this: http://www.alpineskills.com/spring_hiddenvalley.html . 5 of us on the cruise signed up for the weekend of June 17-19. Lauren, James and Kelly are Tahoe locals in their 30's, and Terry (53) lives in SF but is a serious road biker and weekend Squaw skier, so it's obvious who was going to be the weak link in the challenge of summitting 14,162 foot Mt. Shasta. Our guide Ben Mitchell is one of only 60 American mountain guides with IFMGA certification. I arrived in the town of Mt. Shasta Thursday evening. Here's the view of Mt. Shasta from the town of McCloud to the south.
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We met at a mountain shop Friday morning for Ben to review our gear. I was sent to another shop to buy a synthetic T-shirt, shell pants and ski crampons. We drove to the Bunny Flat trailhead at 6,950 feet and began skinning up at noon. Friday was warm and clear so the snow was soft and I wore a cotton T-shirt and the new shell ventilated to stay as cool as possible. Here's our group on one of 3 rest stops about halfway to our camp about 3PM.
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The 5 hour climb to camp with a full pack was very strenuous for me, especially when a ski slipped in the soft snow. When climbing I had to concentrate on rolling my knees to the downhill side to maintain maximum skin contact, as opposed to the skiing instinct to roll the knees uphill to put the skis on edge. The good news was that the snow was smooth with virtually no suncupping above 8,500 feet.

The camp was in Hidden Valley at about 9,200 feet. For the last stretch the rest of the group moved quickly to start setting up camp.
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Shasta's West Face rises 4,000 feet above camp.

From the same spot here's a view of the secondary peak Shastina at 12,200 feet.
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Here's where Ben set up camping stoves to melt snow for refilling water and for our dinners and breakfasts.
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We also tried on our boot crampons, dried our skins and discussed plans for the next 2 days. The original plan was to spend Saturday training and doing some skiing on Shastina, then rise very early Sunday to summit Shasta. But the forecast called for deteriorating weather starting Saturday afternoon, so Ben changed plans to attempt the summit Saturday.

8:30 sunset pics from Hidden Valley.
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On Saturday Ben got us up at 3AM for breakfast and we started skinning up shortly after 4AM. Here I am at 5AM, occasionally in front so Ben could keep me going at a steady and appropriate pace.
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Around this time the slope got a bit steeper, so with the firm snow we put on ski crampons. They were very helpful in making my climbing more secure, and I never slipped while using them. We had a rest stop at 6AM at 10,200 feet and had this view of Mt. Shasta shading the valley below.
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By 7:15AM at 11,000 feet the slope was still steeper, James was occasionally slipping so Ben decided we needed to put the skis on our packs and climb with boot crampons and an ice axe.
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Climbing in boot crampons about 8AM
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Rest stop at 11,700 feet 8:50AM with climbers below.
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The view down looks good but there's already a cloud on Shastina.
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Our next stop was at 12,500 feet at 10:15AM. The wind was now picking up from the NW so we crossed south into the top of Avalanche Gulch to mitigate it. Looking back to the West Face we saw our first skier coming down.
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Ben had instructed us well on climbing in boot crampons and I was generally comfortable even though I had only worn them before on precut ice steps on the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand last July. However the wind made it slow going for me for me with a top heavy pack with skis on it. For the last ~150 feet (probably only 20 vertical climb) we had to cross back onto the West Face with wind much stronger, blowing snow impeding visibility, so Ben had to come and get my pack for that part. I collapsed slightly dizzy on the top of the West Face at 13,200 feet, and Ben was immediately on my case, making sure I was drinking and eating while he got my boot crampons and skins off and bindings set to ski mode.

In the deteriorating weather there was no question about going any higher so we got set up to ski down by 12:15PM.
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This turned out for the best in terms of snow conditions. I skied very defensively since my legs were worked from the climb, but when I dropped in I was pleasantly surprised that the snow at 13,000+ was only moderately firm. Skiing demanded my full concentration under the circumstances so I didn't even think about getting the camera out. Fortunately Ben took lots of ski pictures. Here we are on the upper West Face.
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About 500 feet down the snow had softened to nearly perfect corn, where it remained for another 2,500. Ben set up for pics in the sweet spot. Lauren:
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James:
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Me:
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Terry:
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Kelly:
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The snow got heavy abruptly about 1,000 feet above camp. But the terrain was mostly moderate there so it worked fine with wide gradual turns. We were back in camp at 1:05PM. Looking back up the cloud is just on the top part of what we skied.
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I started to cool off fast so I got in my sleeping bag for a couple of hours. The weather got worse, so Ben put off doing any more teaching until Sunday and fixed dinner by 6PM. We're eating here, and note the cloud is now only ~1,000 feet above camp.
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Ben had us build snow walls around our tents to mitigate the wind. The view down is different from Friday too.
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We went to bed shortly after dinner as the wind was picking up. It blew hard most of the night. Ben got us up at 6AM and told us to pack up. It was clear now but blowing ~30MPH with gusts to 50. About 3AM one of our tent poles broke and punctured 2 small holes in the ceiling.
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Fortunately no precipitation with that wind.

Taking down the tents had to be done carefully in the wind. We finally headed down on skis at 7:30AM with full packs over bulletproof snow. Fortunately once we got past the first corner the wind was not so strong. Snow began to soften in the sun just above 8,000 feet. We stopped for a break at Horse Camp at 7,900.

This cabin has pit toilets and a spring to refill water, but the cabin is still buried nearly to the roof.
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We were back to the trailhead at Bunny Flat by 9AM. We drove into town for a hearty breakfast at Black Bear Cafe. At noon we went back up to Bunny Flats because Ben wanted to teach us about glacier travel we will have in Antarctica. Most of the time was spent on building snow anchors, which we customers must do if a lead guide falls into a crevasse. Testing a snow anchor here:
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And here James attaches the rope to the snow anchor he built. Avalanche Gulch (popular summer climbing route on SW Face) in background.
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Ben then instructed us on potential roped travel across glaciers, and we finally wrapped up about 3:30PM Sunday.

Topo map with Friday/Sunday route and Saturday climbing route in black and ski path on West Face to camp in red.
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Horse Camp is near the bottom of the map but Bunny Flat is just off the map.

Shasta and Shastina viewed from town with West Face ski route to Hidden Valley in red.
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This trip was the true "Warren Miller experience" (if you don't do it this year...) of my first year of retirement, not likely to be repeated. It was surely more rigorous than anything I will do on that cruise, which is at sea level and where I get to sleep in my cabin every night with real bathrooms and nice meals every day.

But this trip did set a couple of personal milestones: Highest elevation on skis at 13,200 and 6,200 of backcountry earned turns. With a guide getting us up early and keeping me moving we did hit the optimal window for corn snow on Saturday. I'm sure some on the trip were disappointed that weather kept us off the summit, but I've read reports that the very top terrain is usually wind hammered and not that great for skiing. For the backcountry aficionados like icelantic, Mt. Shasta should definitely be on the short list.
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby flyover » Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:03 am

=D> Nice report! IMO, easily the most interesting TR on FTO in some time.

What else do you have planned in terms of training for your antarctic trip?
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby Tony Crocker » Wed Jun 22, 2011 11:08 am

flyover wrote:What else do you have planned in terms of training for your antarctic trip?

There will be 18 guides on the Antarctic trip leading groups of four, so I expect quite precise ability splits. Ice Axe is based in Truckee, and by word-of-mouth rave reviews of the 2009 trip a plurality of participants will be ripping Tahoe locals like the 3 on this trip. But there are also spouses, friends etc. (30 out of 100 in 2009) who don't ski at all, and a wide range of us in between.

In terms of conditioning, maintaining where I'm at now should be fine, as noted by my last comments. This trip did give me an appreciation for needed equipment. You read a list, see they want you to have ski crampons, boot crampons, an ice axe, harness and think, "Do I really need to buy all that stuff for a one-shot trip?" After being out there, I understand the answer is yes. The equipment is straightforward to use with quick guide instruction (important for people like Liz who won't have a chance to practice ahead of time) and will provide access to a much wider range of potential ski terrain for those who have it. There will also be a training session in the mountains near Ushuaia the day before the cruise departs.

With regard to all that equipment, in my case I have Adam to pass it onto, so I'm sure it will be put to good use for many years after the cruise.
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby jamesdeluxe » Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:36 pm

Excellent TR. I liked the shot of Shasta's full shadow.

Sorry for a civilian question, but when they do ability splits, does that refer purely to skiing ability, conditioning, or a combination of both?
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby Tony Crocker » Wed Jun 22, 2011 5:58 pm

jamesdeluxe wrote:when they do ability splits, does that refer purely to skiing ability, conditioning, or a combination of both?

Cat and heli skiing it's mostly skiing ability. Ice Axe's questionnaire definitely asks about conditioning as well. Since Ben Mitchell observed me for 3 days and he's one of the guides, I suspect I'll end up in an appropriate group. At any rate I'm sure that's a key reason for the training in Ushuaia the day before the cruise, so the guides can be better informed about sorting people.

Everyone noticed the Shasta shadow at the 6AM break, so the cameras came out for that.
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby Patrick » Wed Jun 22, 2011 8:35 pm

=D> =D> =D>

Tony Crocker wrote:Everyone noticed the Shasta shadow at the 6AM break, so the cameras came out for that.


Not much different from your Solar Eclipse trips. :mrgreen:
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby Tony Crocker » Wed Jun 22, 2011 10:18 pm

Patrick wrote:Not much different from your Solar Eclipse trips.

Weather satellites have shown pictures from space of the moon's shadow on the earth.
Image
The above picture was from the Arctic on August 1, 2008. Liz was on a charter flight viewing that eclipse, probably saw the shadow line moving on the clouds/ice. Correction, this pic is Antarctica on November 23, 2003
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby Twins » Thu Jun 23, 2011 10:26 am

If in doubt stop the climb to ski another day.Good call.
Any altitude sickness issues and did they recommend anything to keep that away?
Also what brand of Pants did you end up with? I have been researching them/full side zips/ and still not sure what to get?
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby soulskier » Thu Jun 23, 2011 11:01 am

Nice work Tony. I have been on Shasta close to 30 times and the weather has prevented me from summiting around 50% of the time.
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby Tony Crocker » Thu Jun 23, 2011 4:14 pm

Twins wrote:Any altitude sickness issues and did they recommend anything to keep that away?

I spent Tuesday/Wednesday nights at Mammoth for some altitude acclimatization. I took Diamox Friday morning, Friday night and Saturday morning. I paid the price for that with 2 pee breaks overnight Friday and 4 Saturday. Not fun in the middle of the night when it’s windy. At any rate the altitude prep (my ideas, not theirs) was effective: no headache, nausea, lack of appetite, etc. And I was not any slower relative to the other people at 12,000+ Saturday than at 8,000 Friday. In terms of overall conditioning I could function consistently at a slow and steady pace if I didn’t make any mistakes. But if extra effort was required, like a slipping ski, postholing or fighting the wind requiring a burst of energy to prevent falling, I would just be wiped out and need a rest to recover. So if the weather is nice Saturday maybe I make it the last 1,000 feet to Shasta’s summit. We’ll never know, but it’s tougher with skis on your back than skinning.
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby schubwa » Thu Jun 23, 2011 6:20 pm

Tony wrote:I paid the price for that with 2 pee breaks overnight Friday and 4 Saturday. Not fun in the middle of the night when it’s windy.


Most guys over fifty have to get up once or twice even at home. If you're trying to stay hydrated (beer, Tequila) on a snow camping/climbing trip, it's all the more challenging. I always bring a dedicated large-mouthed pee bottle to bed with me. Sooo much better than leaving your warm bag behind. Keeps you warm too.
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby Tony Crocker » Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:09 am

Twins wrote:Also what brand of Pants did you end up with?

They are black Marmot pants for $90. Nylon/polyester, so probably not breathable, but they did have full length side zips. A cheaper gray version without the zips was $75. The store where Ben met us had another $90 pant but not in my size. Also a nice one for $230, which I was not willing to spend. No research here, I had 2 shops to look in, had to find something fast.

Ben had a pee bag in his own single tent. I pee in the night 2-3X more often on Diamox, though maybe I'd be up more anyway since I'm not used to sleeping on the ground. I was up less in Cusco in 2007 and on Mt. Fuji in 2009, when I was on Diamox but sleeping in a bed.

As an experienced climber Ben watches the weight we carry very carefully. The tents were very lightweight and it was a cozy fit in there with 3 people, hard to move around without disturbing someone. Ben had us dig a pit in the vestibule of the tent, put our boot shells in there, so it was fairly easy to swing your legs out, then put the shells on if you had to go outside. He also instructed us to wear our boot liners with a dry pair of socks in the sleeping bag to dry out the liners. That worked fairly well too.
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby Admin » Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:21 pm

Tony Crocker wrote:The tents were very lightweight and it was a cozy fit in there with 3 people, hard to move around without disturbing someone.


You shared a tent with 2 others? In your case I don't think that you would've had to move in order to disturb anyone. :rotfl:
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Re: Mt. Shasta, June 17-19, 2011

Postby Tony Crocker » Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:26 pm

admin wrote:In your case I don't think that you would've had to move in order to disturb anyone.

There were a few comments after Friday night. We were so beat that no one heard anything Saturday night.
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