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It all started October 15th w/ a large crew of heathens:

(photo by Storn)

...and some more on Oct 17th:


There's was a lot of great riding in between. In fact, this is hands down the best snowboarding season of my life.
Over 8 months later I decide one more big day is in order on the first day of summer:

I've been up Shasta 3 times this last couple weeks but still haven't ridden off the summit nor been on the east side. Parked my truck the night before at 5800 feet and woke up early to start my journey to 14162.

Started hiking at 4:15am up the brewer creek drainage. I kept hiking and then skinning and wondered if I'd ever see treeline:


Glad to finally see the mountain:


Hiking up the hotlum wintun route is like walking down that hallway in Poltergeist. The closer you get it just seems farther away. The forecast called for winds which made me concerned the upper mountain wouldn't soften, but it was a completely breathless ascent. I was the only person on this side of the mountain.

Route up and down in red:


There were massive suncups down low, but around 9k feet they give way to smoothness all the way to the top. Things were looking good. There wasn't evidence of any tracks above 12k and only a couple faint ones below that. I'm probably the first person to get this route from the summit this year in good conditions.

Finally reach the summit at about 11:30. Spent:


Drop in around noon about 15 minutes before a large, high cloud bank came in from the west to envelop the sunniness that was today. Perfect corn. The ride directly off the summit is super good. Great pitch and views and long. You can either keep riding down the Wintun glacier and traverse back to the Hot tuna ridge down low or traverse over high. I chose high. Didn't really matter as it was a clean slate of perfect snow wherever you went.

About 500 feet down. Mmmm, corn:


The route. Orange is what I was able to "ride". Blue is the walk to the car:


Some video:

Absolutuely stunning! Thanks for posting this; I may just have to venture south and bag Shasta after seeing this great and what looks like a non technical climbing route....

Nice work. 8K Super charger.

Rad.

8300 vert; huge

I rode that route, hotlum wintun, from the summit a long long time ago. I remember a similar scenerio; endless corn.

I remember traversing, up high, way out left of your red line (lookers right) and hauling ass when all of a sudden I almost dumped myself in a hole. Out of nowhere there was glacier ice for a turn and then 'boom' crevasse. I stopped in just the nick of time, got out my axe and toe edge traversed riders right for sixty or so feet on that ice. It felt like gravity wanted to drag me into that hole. Anyways I got out of there and back on route.

This was prob. 2001 or something so not sure what has changed on the mountain, but if anyone is repeating this route beware that there could be some hidden holes out there that the unsuspecting high-speed corn shredder could get surprised by.

Anybody ever notice that crevasse I am talking about?

when I look at your photo again I remember my line being way lookers right of yours; I rode the sorta ridgy couloir looking thing next go through line to the lookers right of yours from the summit, on the other side of those rocks; coming out of that skinny part where it opens up into the big open snow, thats where I almost disappeared.

You must have been on the Hotlum glacier You can see ice bulges/little seracs right off the ridge line of hot-tuna proper.

I dont know all the names of stuff but this is basically how I remember my route;

That heel side (for me anyways) riding at the end totally would have sucked, but in all, I am jealous
not being able to make what looked like this season's longest line and best corn riding. One more
reason to head back there though.

Just freakin' awesome Brooks! I really mmustajust missed you. i dorove to the end of the BC TH road (the fallen tree/snowdrift) to scout out the TH about 5ish...

nicely played BG.

Wow! Way to get it.

Sweet - way to get it! That route has always interested me and each report I see gets me a little closer to making the drive down there. Nice work!!!

Nice shots, nice TR, congrats!

I want to be THERE right now!


PS. 8K is a TON of vert Brooks!