Mt. Shasta – West Face & Hotlum-Wintun
Mount Shasta (alternate routes to Avalanche Gulch) · near Mount Shasta City · Shasta Cascade
Backcountry Skiing
At a glance
- Vertical
- 7000
- Best season
- Mid-April–mid-June · The prime Shasta ski-mountaineering window on good corn
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Summit pass required above 10,000ft ($25) + free wilderness permit (self-issue). WAG bags required. Shasta-Trinity NF. These alternate routes (West Face, Hotlum-Wintun) are serious ski-mountaineering — the West Face suits expert skiers comfortable on exposed 38° slopes.
Worth knowing
- Gear you must bring
- Beacon · Probe · Shovel · Skins · Ski crampons · Ice axe · Boot crampons · Helmet
- Gear worth bringing
- Airbag pack · Second tool · Rope (for some conditions) · Whippet
Guides, rentals and operators
- Guides
- Shasta Mountain Guides · International Alpine Guides
Backcountry Skiing detail
- Nickname
- The 7,000-Foot Corn Descents
- Directions note
- West Face approaches start from Bunny Flat via Hidden Valley
- Ates
- complex
- Tour types
- ski-mountaineering
- Summit
- 14179
- Approach
- Big — alpine start (often pre-dawn) with skins/bootpack; crampons and ice axe for the ascent, skis on the pack
- First timer with guide
- No
- Guide recommended
- Yes
- Avi zone
- Mount Shasta Avalanche Center · shastaavalanche.org
- Signature lines
- West Face · Hotlum-Wintun Ridge · The 7,000-foot corn run
- Intl tip
- Mount Shasta City and McCloud are the base towns, with full guide and gear services. The mountain pairs with everything in the far north — the ski park (skiing guide), McCloud Falls (swimming guide), and Pluto's Cave (caving guide). Shasta holds deep spiritual significance for many; treat the mountain with respect.
The guide
Beyond the classic Avalanche Gulch route (covered separately), Mount Shasta's West Face and Hotlum-Wintun Ridge offer the conno…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mt. Shasta – West Face & Hotlum-Wintun — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 41.4092, -122.21