Category: Trip Reports

Been there stories.

TR: Spring conditions on Castle Peak

The base is perfectly seasoned to yield up a corn harvest on some aspect at predictable hours. Even though the snow is running thin, for the moment, you can always connect the dots between rocks, bushes, and trees with continuous speed if you anticipate and aim well.

TR: Crater Lake Circumnavigation

We made good time and saw no other tracks for the rest of the trip except for one set of ski tracks. We would follow this set of tracks the entire way around. One track, no stops or camps, except for a few places where the the skier probably paused for a water or food break. With this unknown jibbers tracks for inspiration, we jibbed on.

TR: Ski clock starts – D1 of 11-Twelve season

© 2011 It was no surprise when the storm hit, or that it was coming. The surprise was how much snow was left around 6,000 feet. Truckee locals have learned, Prosser Lake acts like a moisture magnet, summer or winter. After running errands in town Pepper was antsy to get outside. There was fresh snow. …

Keep making backcountry turns

TR: Mt. Shasta – October 12, 2011

Headed up north once again.  I had to see what the last storm did to the mountain. I had been watching the snow piling up on Shasta, on the computer, and then watched as it melted away. I couldn’t take it anymore. Drove up Tuesday and camped at the Brewer Creek TH. The road was …

Keep making backcountry turns

TR: Shasta September 28, 2011

Headed up north with Mark Chon (aka-snowblasta). We were looking forward to some suncup dodging on the last of the summer snow. Still tons of snow. I haven’t seen this much snow on Shasta this late in the season before. The view from below on I-5 looked promising.

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The Table

It’s the first thing you notice when you enter Selkirk Lodge, which is odd considering it’s just a table. Sure you’ll spend a fair amount of time at it in the coming week as you log long days of backcountry skiing, but the skiing was the point of the vacation, not the table, right? Later …

Keep making backcountry turns

Mt. Shasta – the Masta’

Perhaps the most common reprimand that I hear comes from Shasta county locals fearing we’ll make Mt. Shasta more popular than it is. The thought that a little rag like this could have that much influence is flattering but absurd. Instead, I have a theory that the flaming cross on my front lawn carries deeper …

Keep making backcountry turns