A month off to snowboard California in April? :scratch:
Good choice.

It’s a great month for both powder and corn with more daylight for long days and Shasta and Whitney trips. Plenty of easy overnight options within hours of Davis.

@SanFrantastico wrote:

It might be kinda early for Shasta… depends on the weather and how adventureous you are feeling.

Also depends on what you want to hit…and whether descent from the summit is desired. There is line for most seasons and conditions, it just depends on how much time you have to spend and the length of approach you are willing to undertake. There is plenty of good snow to be ripped on Shasta in April, you just have to adjust your trip itinerary accordingly.

I will definitely be able to team up with you. Lots of options that time of year in the Sierra. As it gets closer we can plan a little better but I can pull together the troops and we can hit anything from Lone Pine to Bridgeport.
Lots of Nice high alpine lake hikes in the area too for you and your brother. Take a gondola ride up to the top of Mammoth Mountain
Soak in the hot springs (hopefully full of naked hippie chicks) The List goes on ad on :headbang: :pals:

@brg wrote:

SF/96, I think i descent from the summit would be sweet, at least reaching the summit even if i had to down climb to where i could ride, would mid may be better for that?

All depends on how our winter shapes up in terms of snowpack and wind. April is the prime time to hit some of the big SW side ridge routes (Casaval, Green Butte, and Sargents), all of which are really nice mountaineering routes that usually take most people 2 or more days to complete.

Provided the avy conditions are reasonable you can likely find some sweet turns in West Face Gully, Avalanche Gulch and the Old Ski Bowl.

The later you go, the more likely that Misery Hill (upper mountain) is more consolidated and icy. But this is varies greatly from one year to the next. Note that all of these routes are accessed via the trailhead at Bunny Flat that has year-round snow removal.

If we have a really big year many snowbridges over the crevasses on the N and E side glaciers may still be intact and solid, but April is likely too late for a descent of the Whitney Glacier. This side of the mountain will have big approaches as the trailheads will likely still be buried, and most of the glacier proper descents are winter/early spring objectives.

@brg wrote:

would mid may be better for that?

The first time I went up Mt. Shasta was a guided trip on May 15, 2006. It was really fun and the weather was almost too perfect – we were broiling in the sun. The guide said that for that time of year about 50% of his groups are turned around by weather. The odds get much better later in the year, I think. But if you have a window of more than 3 days I’m sure the chances of finding an opportunity is better than that. The Shasta summit is an awesome place. I wish I could take the whole month off and go everywhere you’re going!