Mount Shasta, the roof of Northern California. The Cascade's largest and second tallest (14,180 ft) volcano (after Rainier) stands tall above the surrounding plains, hills, and mountains of Northern California. With California's epic winter of 2023, Shasta's Avalanche Gulch, one of the 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America, was in excellent condition into Summer.
Volcano Season is a term used in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California to denote the mercurial timeframe in the Spring when the high alpine volcano snowpack consolidates, the weather and road access improve, and backcountry skiers summit these volcanoes to harvest the abundant fields of sweet, sweet corn snow.
So on June 3rd, 2023, the four of us scrubs showed up to attempt to summit the beast that is Shasta and snowboard/ski down the legendary Avalanche Gulch.