It might be hard to believe that December is already here and 2011 has less than 30 days left in it. While the year is coming to a close, the ski season is just getting ready to get started! The Mount Shasta Ski Park plans to open for day time and night time skiing in mid-December. Whether you’ve never been skiing on Mt. Shasta or you’re a winter regular, it’s a beautiful and fun place to enjoy the thrill of both downhill and cross country skiing.
To stay up-to-date on the current snow conditions and park hours of operation be sure to visit SkiPark.com. If you’re not a local Siskiyou County resident and you’re looking for a place to stay while visiting the slopes there are great options throughout the county including local hotels and B&B’s within close proximity to the ski park in both Mt. Shasta and McCloud.
Downtown Mt. Shasta offers a variety of dining options and great shops to visit if you’ve got extra time to do some exploring while in town. For more information about the City of Mt. Shasta visit the Mt. Shasta Visitor’s Chamber of Commerce online or call them directly toll-free at 1-800 926-4865. Their friendly and helpful staff will be glad to assist you in making your visit to Mt. Shasta and Siskiyou County an enjoyable experience you’ll want to repeat year after year.
Spring skiing and mountaineering is in full tilt on Mount Shasta this year. On May 6th, the Mt. Shasta Fun Guide reported that Mt. Shasta “exceeds its corn expectations” - something backcountry skiers are blissful over. Folks are coming from all over the ski the ridiculous amounts of spring snow on Mt. Shasta and finding sweet conditions. If you’re coming to town, you can find backcountry info and direct experience by visiting The Fifth Season or Shasta Basecamp in Mt. Shasta. Both shops also rent and sell gear for backcountry adventures, from skiing to climbing. Currently the Shasta Basecamp website hasa film from a ski mountaineering trip that features footage from a full summit and ski trip on Mt. Shasta (not from this year, there is a lot more snow this year than what you see in the film).
Shasta Mountain Guides and Sierra Wilderness Seminars are getting into full swing with spring mountaineering trips. It’s going to be a long climbing season with all of the snow, but its still good to book your trip early to make sure you get into a trip on snow rather than rock. These companies, as well as Robin Kohn (author of the Fun Guide) provide ski touring packages.
For folks who are considering climbing Mount Shasta or a ski mountaineering trip, you can learn a lot about the endeavor by reading the Shasta Avalanche Advisory site put up by the Forest Service climbing rangers.
After receiving 8 feet of snow in town in late March, the conditions on Mount Shasta have been ripe for glorious spring skiing. The snow is deep and folks are reporting spring corn conditions. Shasta Mountain Guides staff have been up enjoying the conditions and supplied the photo at right. SMG and Sierra Wilderness Seminars, the two companies that guide mountaineering trips on the mountain, are looking forward to a great mountaineering season.
If you’re a seasoned backcountry skier now is the time to get in some turns. The staff at The Fifth Season and Shasta Base Camp can give you condition reports, and you can always check the Shasta Avalanche website. Or, local guide Robin Kohn posts trip reports when she’s not out skiing, so check her out as well.
If you’re new to backcountry skiing and want to learn your way around, Shasta Mountain Guides and Sierra Wilderness Seminars offer packages to teach you all about getting out there. Robin Kohn offers guided trips if you’re new to the area and want to learn the terrain.
So what are you waiting for?! Spring skiing is fine!
The snow storm that hit the Mt. Shasta area in late March dumped a ton of new snow at the Mt. Shasta Ski Park. With 22 feet at the top and 10 feet at the base, the Ski Park has decided to extend the season so you all can enjoy all that snow a little bit longer.
Coming up Saturday, April 2nd the Park will host Sierra Nevada Brewery Day at the Park and the rescheduled Night Rail Jam and night skiing. During the Brewery event Sierra Nevada will have Pale Ale, Torpedo Ale, Tumbler, Summerfest, Glissade, Celebration, Kellerweis, Brown ale and “Beer Camp Beer” on tap. There will also be live music.
The Park will close on its original closing date of April 17th, but it will re-open the following weekend of April 22-24 for “Customer Appreciation Weekend” over Easter Weekend.
On closing weekend the Park will hold its Screamin’ or Sinkin’ Pond Skim Party, starting at high noon, on Saturday, April 16th. Hot Mess and The Billy’s will provide live music for the event.
Other events scheduled before the close of the season include the Coyote Classic on Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10; the Over the Hill Alpine Races on Saturday, April 9; The Gene Landsmann Alpine Races on Sunday, April 10; The Pond Skim Party on Saturday, April 16; and the Ski, Bike, Run and Paddle on Sunday, April 17.
Check out Chicks on Sticks at the Mt. Shasta Nordic Center coming up on March 13th. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy spring skating, skiing and snowshoeing.
Here’s the beta:
Fun Skate, Stride, or Shoe Event to raise money for the Breast Cancer Fund and the Mt Shasta Nordic Center.
8km rolling course in the stunning scenery of the Nordic Center. Fast or slow, old or young, pro or novice, all are encouraged!
Prizes for best costume and most stylish snow sliders!
$20 Nordic Members
$25 Non Members
$5 Kids
The Nordic Center has 25k of groomed trails for classic Nordic skiing and skate skiing. On weekends you can get lessons if you’re new to the sport.
It’s the beginning of March - before we know it spring will be fully sprung. The Mt. Shasta Ski Park has scheduled its last day as Sunday, April 17th. The Ski Park has all kinds of events on tap so you can get in plenty of skiing and boarding in before the final weekend (which will be one big celebration). Here’s the line up - be sure to get up to the Ski Park again, as time will surely fly this time of year. Remember, if you’re up on Friday or Saturday evenings stop by Sliders Lounge for live music.
Check out the Big Air Comp at the Mt. Shasta Ski Park this weekend - Feb 26th. Even if you don’t want to try your skills it’s fun to watch! The jumps are built just above the main lodge, under the Marmot chairlift, so you’ve got a great view. Follow it up with live music in the Sliders Lounge starting at 4pm. Check out the video below to watch the Revolution Terrain Park rangers show off their home turf.
Fun times at the Mt. Shasta Ski Park for News Years Eve - good skiing and riding, torchlight parade and a fab fireworks show. The celebration is over, but the snow is still great. Sunshine is in the forecast this week, so come up to the Ski Park!
Christmas is coming early: the Mt. Shasta Ski Park is opening a week earlier than anticipated!! Whoo Hoo! Get your skis or board waxed up and your season pass in hand. Ski season is beginning.
If you’ve never been to the Mt. Shasta Ski Park what you’ll find is a small, locally-owned park that is family friendly while still providing a fun variety of slopes and terrain park features. Located between Mt. Shasta and McCloud, you can find lodging and dining in either town, and additional winter time pursuits. Mt. Shasta offers ice skating, sledding is a hit at Snowman’s Hill and the Pilgrim Creek Snowmobile Park is just outside of McCloud. Plus, there is so much snowshoeing and back country skiing terrain that you’ll have to visit for years to explore it all.
Mt. Shasta has a blanket of snow and when the first storm came through in late October/early November, folks were able to get a few days in of backcountry skiing. Some skinned up to the Old Ski Bowl to make early season turns, others enjoyed touring. Now we’re waiting for that next blanket of snow to build a good base for the season. While we’re dreaming of winter’s bounty it’s a good time to get inspired and do some planning.
If you’re in the area in early November, you can get a dose of inspiration at the Mt. Shasta Avalanche Center’s presentation of Azadi: Freedom, a Banff Mountain Film Festival selection. The film will show on Nov 12th at 6:30pm at the Mt. Shasta Brewing Company tap room in Weed. Hang out with like-minded folks who have already been doing their snow dance while enjoying local brews. And if you’re going to miss this MSAC event, mark your calendar for Jan 22, 2011 and get here for the 9th annual Snowball (good times, always!). The Avy Center also offers avalanche education courses, so if you’re new to the backcountry and need to learn life-saving skills, this is the place to learn them.
Now on the planning: this winter looks like we’ll have above average precipitation and cool temps (see the MS Avy Center conditions report for details). With lots of snow, you’ll want to plan some trips to the mountain and Castle Lake for the classic backcountry ski destinations in the Mt. Shasta area. This year, Shasta Mountain Guides is offering classes to help skiers and snowboarders transition from park riding and skiing to doing it in the backcountry. So if you’ve been dreaming of the backcountry hook up with Shasta Mountain Guides. If you’ve got backcountry experience, but would like a guide, Shasta Mountain Guides and Sierra Wilderness Seminars offer guided backcountry touring. You can also book a trip with Robin Kohn of Mt. Shasta Fun who authored the book Mt. Shasta Guide to Fun about the varied recreational opportunities in the area.
That should get you started with planning a backcountry ski trip. Think snow!
Recreation, Siskiyou County, Snow Skiing | admin December 4, 2011 | 
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