Cascade Volcano Trip Summary (lots of rambling)
Cascade Volcano Trip
About two weeks back I left Reno on a Thursday night and drove up to Mount Shasta, CA, to meet Dave, Fred, and Lisa. This would be the start to my quest to ski as many of the Cascade volcanoes as possible, and more so, as part of a bigger quest to eventually ski other volcanoes of the Pacific Ring of Fire. I left Reno hoping to ski from the highest skiable points from all peaks that I would attempt along my trip, and Shasta would be the first objective. After Shasta, I planned to head north to Southern Oregon to ski Mount McLoughlin with Hank, Pete, and Dave. From McLoughlin, the plan was to head north to Bend with Dave for some variation of the Sisters volcanoes. Then, after Bend, we would watch the weather and wait to see where the next weather window to ski would be.
Shasta (14,179ft) was a last minute addition to the trip. I had considered it for the return part of the trip since I would have to pass it again on my way back to Reno but the weather was looking more like January on the way out. However, it was along the way, and starting my trip a day early seemed like a great idea. The weather wasn’t good in the sense that it had been warm for days, but now on the day we wanted to ski, a cold front was supposed to pass. There wasn’t much precipitation in the forecast, however the winds were forecasted to be high, 45mph with gusts exceeding 65mph, and temperatures were forecasted to be low, summit highs in the single digits, and wind chills well below zero. The signs were obvious, we were definitely not going to be skiing corn, but we decided we would give it a go and see what we find.
After sleeping in our cars at the trailhead the night before. We left the Bunny Flat Trailhead and we were on the snow at about 6:00am Friday morning and to our surprise there was no wind. It was honestly just great to be out on the snow and walking through the forest. With the firmness of the snow, we were moving quite quickly and before we knew it, had climbed out of tree-line and were looking at our main objective, the Casaval Ridge ascent. This variation of summiting Shasta begins in Avalanche Gulch then exits and takes you along Casaval Ridge just NW of Avalanche Gulch. It is a slightly more technical approach with points of higher exposure, yet there are substantially less people, so to some degree, that balances the risk between the two. We continued up Avalanche Gulch on our skins for quite some time, choosing to wait for higher access to Casaval, but as we climbed higher, we soon found the forecasted winds. As we began to get pelted by loose snow and ice, picture small rocks flying off the back of a truck at your car (that is how it comes down the mountain sometimes), one skier was descending (presumably where the ice pellets were falling from..) and he stopped to chat with me for a second. He said the snow was “punch through” all the way to the top and the winds were high. We definitely noticed the winds, but we had not stepped out of our skis yet, so we had not experienced the punching yet. Punching occurs when there is a thin firm layer of crust on the top of the snowpack, and when you try to walk on it, you punch through because the thin layer cannot possibly hold your weight. Sort of like thin ice, but on snow. I thanked him for the information and we parted our separate ways. I relayed the information to Fred as he approached me and then to Lisa and Dave as well. We all decided that we would push on a bit longer and gather again at Helen Lake, around 11,000ft. Shortly after this discussion, the snow became firm enough that we did have to transition to bootpacking. We definitely started to punch through, and we also started to accept that in these winds, we were not interested in ridge-lining on bullet proof/punchable snow, with our skis on our backs.
In this photo: Fred Mondale tours into the abyss near Helen Lake.
With this all considered, we all easily agreed to head over the ridge to our SE (once over it we would be looking at Sargents Ridge) and see if the skiing over that way would be any better. With its southern aspects, the ridge had speculatively seen more sun that day and days before. We traversed over one after another, and while a summit bid was off, I think we were all still stoked to be skiing on the side of a volcano. And while I would be left 0-1 on Cascade volcanoes, Shasta is pretty low hanging fruit for me. Its a short drive and you can pretty much ski from it year around. Anyway, we gained the ridge and dropped a descent of about a 1,200vft of what honestly wasn’t awful snow, then traversed back NW to regain the ridge and drop back into Avalanche Gulch for our return to the cars.
In this photo: Dave Mathes takes a break on Mt. Shasta’s wind beaten snow.
This day was not a wash by any means. It was great to see this powerful weather in action, and to see this mountain in this setting. It was also the first time that I had skied with Dave and Lisa. Dave and I were connected though mutual Colorado friends and I had met him once before in Breckenridge. It was neat to reconnect with him. He now does Mountain Search and Rescue for the National Guard so he is obviously a great addition to the crew. Lisa and I also happen to have mutual friends but didn’t know it until we got chatting on snow, small world or are we just in the right place? Safe to say it was a fun day and I’ll never forget going last in line and watching everyone ski in and out of the clouds down in front of me. Skiing really does create magical days.
After getting back to the cars, we all threw down some calories and hungout before heading north to Oregon. Fred and Lisa were off to Bend to attempt the Three Sisters Traverse. Dave and I were ready to go for Mount McLoughlin, and Hank and Pete were cruising up I-5, all the way from Santa Monica to meet us for Mount McLoughlin. It looked like the weather would be perfect for a corn cycle, freeze-thaw conditions with lower winds, 10-15mph. While McLoughlin (9,493ft) is one of the smaller of the Cascade Volcanoes, it attracts far less skiers, and the N and NE Bowls both have excellent lines extending 2,500vft or more depending on the snow-line. Hank and I had been planning a descent of the NE Bowl for months, so it was truly pretty special for this all to line up.
The drive from Shasta to the campground was just beautiful, namely, the extensive ponderosa that line the forests along the ride. It was also the greenest that I had ever seen this part of Oregon. The meadows were full of green grasses, flowers were blooming, and even a few aspen trees had green leaves flickering in the breeze. After about a two hour ride, Dave and I set up camp at Four Mile Lake around 3:00p and waited for Hank and Pete to arrive. We found a great spot with a big view of the line that we were looking to ski and stayed here all afternoon. At about 8:00pm, Hank and Pete made it to the site. Talk about a couple of dudes looking delirious. Thirteen hours after leaving Los Angeles, they had made it to McLoughlin, and luckily with enough time to get some sleep. We discussed the route and the plan, the weather forecast, etc., and only briefly caught up since an early alarm was set to go off at 4:30a.
We got up as planned and hit the trailhead at about 5:45a. Not bad at all, as long as I make time for a French Press, it is all good. Keeping a routine really helps me on these trips, specifically when it comes to executing my last minute checklist. Coffee is a the top of this checklist, and I always regret when I don’t get a cup down before leaving.
There were a few other cars in the lot when we got there, but only one person had started to ascend before us, and he was just climbing it, no ski descent. This had me stoked to think that we may get to be the first ski tracks of the day. The snow-line was about two miles up the route so for the first 45 minutes or so, we walked on the Mount McLoughlin Trail/PCT before transitioning to skins at snow-line. The trees were just beautiful, I forgot how stunning the forest around here is. I remember that while on the PCT I was hiking very fast in this area and perhaps at night, I definitely did not remember it being this stunning. It was awesome to be out here with Hank and Pete who had never seen the Oregon forest before. Even Dave, who lives in Portland, was staring at the forest in awe. It was a good day already and we had not even made it to snow.
In this photo: Front to back- Dave Mathes, Hank Williams, and Pete Moran.
With only the brief hike in ski boots, we made it to consistent snow so I put my skis on and began touring up the SE Ridge which would bring us to the summit. The temperatures were just cool enough and the sky was totally clear. All signs were indicating a pretty damn good day ahead. As we all made our way up the SE Ridge, the snow began to firm up, so we transitioned to bootpacking, (Hank and Pete actually booted the whole thing), and from here, it was a mellow and very aesthetic climb to the summit ridge. By about 10:30am, all four of us had reach the summit, and we were the first skiers to reach it for the day. While standing on top we admired the terrain and took in the views which reached from beyond Mount Shasta to the south and all the way up to the Three Sisters in Bend to the north. It was tempting to ski the North Bowl and double up by coming back up the NE Bowl for a lap but we all agreed to stick to our plan and play it safe based off of the varying capabilities of each group member.
It was hard to leave the summit but after taking a bunch of photos and letting it all sink in, we skied off the summit and down the SE ridge which linked up with the NE Bowl. I went first and did a couple test cuts above one of the steeper portions of the slope. The snow was funky but seemed plenty consolidated. At the highest elevations a couple of inches of snow had fallen over the prior days and the wind packed it in firmly. It wasn’t necessarily wind deposited snow on a leeward slope, but snow that had been affected by the wind after settling. I was able to radio back to the group and just reminded everyone to ski slow/safe and to watch out for “ACL” turns. After descending a bit more I transitioned onto a nice velvety surface that could hold an edge and it skied fast. Once I found a safe spot to stop, I radioed back to the group again to let them know of the change in snow and to relay my stoke! I stood on the slope as they all descended one by one and then Dave proceeded on down the hill a bit past us to set up for some photos. It was really rad to get to ski this slope so consistently. We skied about a thousand vertical feet or more at a time before reconnecting at each point and it was just awesome to open it up a little and for everyone to really get to enjoy the amazingly freeing feeling of skiing a wide open line. For Pete, it was his first time, boy was he lucky! As for the rest of us, we really knew what we had, which was a great day on the mountain and I certainly think Pete thought that too.
After dropping a couple thousand vertical feet, the slope angle mellowed out substantially and we were able to have a fun “party ski” all the way down to the lower stretches of the bowl which we would eventually exit in order to link our egress up with the tracks that we set coming in. I would definitely consider this one of the more fun and consistent vertical lines that I have skied, making it totally as advertised, which is, an under-appreciated (beautiful) volcano with awesome ski terrain. It was just so dang sweet for this all to line up and for us all to have such a good time on this peak. Certainly one for the ages, and totally grateful for it! Safe to say the good vibes were aloft and this was just day two of the trip!
Skiing McLoughlin was great, skiing Shasta was too, but what also made this trip really special was the time spent between skiing. I won’t spend too much time on it for the sake of keeping this post a reasonable length. But for me, its about the trip in its entirety. Its about having as much fun as possible, and if not having fun, moving on. Its about living as free as possible along the way, not making too many plans, and ending up where the road takes me. Its about being patient and letting the experience build, not being top anxious and seeking too hard, but instead staying still when possible and listening. This is also a great time to reflect, slow down, look at the information, and plan for the next peak to ski. So with this being said, on day three we headed to my favorite spot in Oregon, the Umpqua River. I didn’t expect to head this way, but I had a little extra time, it was Saturday and there was no plan to ski until Monday. Sunday was open, and so was all Saturday afternoon, so it seemed legit to me to wander a bit out of the way to camp with two good friends. Hank and Pete were really stoked to fish the Umpqua and I figured I could ride my bike along the North Umpqua Trail. Dave had friends to see in Bend so he headed north. We had a great campsite on Saturday night and made a fire next to waterfall. Hard to believe that we were so delirious on the way up that we passed this spot up. We were definitely lucky to get it as we circled back. After hanging out around the fire all night and relaxing, we woke up and slowly started the day by beating the crowds to Fall Creek Falls which was just so gorgeous with its moss and dense green foliage surrounding the beautifully clear water. We took some time along this trail and then agreed to pick a spot along the North Umpqua Trail to hang for the day. However, after a night and a morning of relaxing and reflecting, I had settled on the mindset of “I came up here to ski,” and that I should not be distracted, and that Monday would actually be a nice day to ski South Sister with Dave and his friend John who was coming down form Portland to join.
In this photo: Pete and Hank relaxing at the campsite above the Umpqua.
So it was on, decision made, I was going to ride a little along the North Umpqua Trail, but afterwards head north to Bend to ski South Sister (10,000ft) on Monday morning. It really did feel right, and I was really stoked to be planning another day on another volcano. The main thing we were considering was the unusually high temperatures for this time of year. At this time of year, we are really seeking a good freeze-thaw cycle. This allows the snow to firm up but then soften to the nice corn texture that us skiers love. Its like skiing on a perfect snow cone. For this to happen, temperatures need to drop below freezing at night and then jump above freezing around mid morning (with the help of the sun) for a nice safe corn descent. If temperatures never get below freezing, you run the risk of sinking in deeply, making for a very difficult ascent and descent, along with other dangerous side effects such as rock falls and wet slides. Rock fall is a particularly scary one on volcanoes in the spring time because the melting ice and snow releases the rocks that were once bonding it all together. While rockfall was not a concern for our South Sister objective, slushy snow was, so once again I found myself setting the alarm even earlier, this time for 3:45a. Plus, there was a slight chance for some wet weather later in the day, so we wanted to get up and down.
I left the Umpqua and drove up towards Bend along Cascade Lakes Highway and eventually reached the pull off at Devils Lake where I would camp for the night. I was there early enough to talk to some skiers that had just come down so it was really nice to get some basic information from them. It was also nice to just banter with more random people about the common thing that we love. The truth about traveling alone is that in many ways, it is better. At least for me, I open myself up more, I talk to more people, and its that connection with random people that I dig so much. I think sometimes when we travel with people we limit ourselves to those people and miss all the rest along the way. For this reason, I highly suggest traveling alone, at least here and there, and to travel with an open mind.
Dave pulled into the lot about 30 minutes after me and it looked like another good adventure was set to begin. We sat around the cars on our sleeping pads and drank a few beers waiting for the sun to go down then finally passed out around 9:30p. John was still on his way down from Portland and was planning to meet us here for a 4:15a departure from the cars and of course, it worked out; at 4:10a a headlamp approached us and sure enough, its John. We said our hellos and started our way up the trail. It was awesome to have the snow reach the road and we were nearly able to skin right from the side of the highway. We climbed up the drainage in near darkness for a bit and then slowly the sun began to rise as we gained the first high point and began traversing across the plain that rests below the south side of South Sister. We were some of the first people out on this day but with it being one the most popular climbs/ski mountaineer routes in the Cascades, we definitely were not the only ones. However, eventually as the morning went on, we passed all other ski groups, and were the first skiers to approach the summit for the day. One other person had already sumitted, a climber that started at 2:00a, and he let us know that nobody else was up there, and that the view from the summit was clear. He briefly mentioned the snow which he said he “thought would be firmer.” I kind of figured that the snow would be very soft, so I asked how deep he was sinking in and he said just over his ankle. Which is soft, but not crazy. I thanked him for the information and continued upward. I was excited to think that I would get the summit of South Sister to myself for a bit since I was the about twenty minutes in front of Dave and John who were the next closest skiers.
In this photo: On this summit all by myself with Middle Sister and North Sister looking righteous.
The clouds were very neat this day and it was quite evident just how maritime these mountains are. The clouds were just zipping by, some high overhead, some below me, it was really neat to be up in the atmosphere. It also made me think the forecasted weather is definitely getting here before this evening. I reached the top of the cone at about 8:15a and cut across the center of it to the summit to finally reach the highest point of the volcano’s cone. It was amazing to be up here alone. The clouds were horizontally stretching like thin peels of cotton candy over Middle and North Sister and Jefferson was in and out of view because of the clouds that were moving in with the system. Even though the winds were ripping at the summit, the temperature was high enough for me to stay warm in a puffy, so I remained on the summit until Dave and John reached me. It was really awesome to all share this summit together and to get to the top of another on with Dave who I had really just met more or less. We did our thing and took some pictures but really urgency needed to be used if we wanted to ski down before the clouds socked us in, which would force us to retrace our steps, rather than ski a fun line. We all ripped skins and transitioned then skied one by one off the summit and back over across the cone to the south face. From here, most people had been skiing more skiers left, towards the ridge you ascend. We decided the we would move farther west along the cone (skiers right), take some turns to assess the snow, then if it was good, we would continue down as low as possible before traversing back to our route in.
In this photo: Zac Barbiasz (me), John Mellencamp, and Dave Mathes atop the summit of South Sister.
Dave took off first and it actually looked like the snow was descent. I took off next and then John, we agreed, the snow was even a bit better than descent for the top 1,000vft or so. Not the best corn of my life, but definitely pretty solid for about 1,500vft before it started getting substantially softer. At this point, we decided to traverse back over and make the most fun out of whatever we could ski on the way down. It was really just the directly south facing stuff that was just too soft, otherwise, when you changed over to a better SW/W aspect the snow got entirely better. So we chased this type of skiing for as long as we could before having to cut back across the plain. Believe it or not, even at 10:00a and at 6,000ft, the skiing down to the road through the trees was a blast!
We were back to the cars by 10:30a and already looking ahead to the next ski day, but that looked like it would be Friday at best because the temperatures were forecasted to be well above average, with no chance for a freeze-thaw cycle, even at the upper most elevations. I think we were all pretty content with the last few days and decided to go our own ways until the next weather window opened up. Dave and John hustled back to Portland and I decided to head towards Bend/Sisters where I used to live. It was really nice to catch up with my friend Wes and to ride the trails I once used all the time, and of course to stop at Sisters Bakery for some donuts. I really love this part of Oregon. If not Reno, I could really see Sisters, Oregon being a place I call home (again).
I spent Tuesday and Wednesday riding my bike on the Sisters Trails and hanging out with Wes but by the time Thursday rolled around I had made up my mind- stick to the plan, ski the most volcanoes as you safely can. The weather looked like it could work out for an attempt at Mount Adams, WA (12,280ft), on Friday so I hit up Dave. He ended up not being able to make it but I decided to give it a go on my own anyway. I knew that the route was pretty straight forward and that it was a relatively popular volcano to ski so while I was planning on looking out for myself, I knew or at least had a solid idea, that there would be other skiers in the parking lot/campground. So I packed up the car and headed up 97 through the dry sage brush expanse of Central Oregon and up and over through the rainforest-like canopy of the Mount Hood National Forest, then across the Columbia River at Hood River, OR, and up to Trout Lake, WA, to get some more information on the road and route to the summit.
It was quite nostalgic to be back in Trout Lake, WA. This is a “PCT Town” where you come to resupply before heading off into the Gifford Pinchot NF/Goat Rocks Wilderness. I got there and noticed I had no cell service, and immediately remember that is why I loitered around the cafe all day when I was on trail (for WiFi). Since I was unable to look up the route and download the information on my phone due to cell service issues, I decided to drive to the General Store to see what/who I could find. Literally, the same two Trail Angel guys from 2015 were sitting on the deck and the lady working the register was still the same lady. It felt like a damn time warp, and it was awesome. I talked to them all for a little and thanked them for the ways in which they help the thru-hiking community then I set off driving up to the Cold Springs Trailhead on Mount Adams.
I got about halfway to the top before running into a guy on his bike with his skis strapped, I told him I had a beer for him at the campground and he laughed and smiled. I got to the campground at about 5:15p and there were a few skiers around who were able to give me some information on the snow and how it skied that day. Lucky for me, the guy I talked to said, “best conditions I have ever skied it.” I thought, hell yes, good snow! The dude on his bike was Sam and he finally made it to the parking lot at about 7:00p and joined in conversation with me and the other guys that I was talking to, John and Ted. He began to tell us of the mission he was on and I was immediately jealous. Sam had departed from Portland two days prior and rode his bike to Mount St. Helens, skied St. Helens, road to Adams on dirt roads (mainly), then planned to ski Adams, and then ride his bike from Adams to Hood, ski Hood, then ride back to Portland. Sick trip! I gave him that beer that I had promised him and we continued to chat. My maps still wouldn’t download but I figured we would mainly be starting at the same time and I would be able to some degree mooch off his GPS. Luckily at about 10:00p my maps downloaded, both ascent and descent, and it was pretty damn nice to fall asleep feeling very confident in the next days plan.
When my alarm went off at 4:30a it was a bit hard to get moving. My body was tired but my stoke was high, so after a few minutes of wrestling my sleeping bag, I kicked the door open, let the cold air in, and fired up the coffee. I had packed all my stuff the night before, so I literally just needed to have a cup and head off. Sam was up too, and so was one other guy, and they both got started just before me. I was probably 200 yards behind to start. I felt very excited for the day ahead. A lot of firsts. First WA volcano, first time skiing in WA, first time skiing a volcano alone, all fun stuff. I caught up to the other guy and then eventually Sam who I had basically been following all the way up to a feature known as the “Lunch Counter.” We got up there and had a chat together, talked about snow quality, etc., and how we planned to gain the next face and ultimately the summit. We were still 3,500ft below the summit but it looked so close. I continued on as he ate a snack but then he would eventually pass me again on the bootpack up the face. I was temped to not bring any Avy gear, and go extremely light like Sam, but in an effort to practice good habits, I decided on the heavier, standard load. Going up the face I passed a nice couple that were climbing it (no skis) and then it was on to the summit. I got the summit about ten minutes after Sam but I never got to talk to him about the line we wanted to ski, the SW Chutes, because he dropped off the gully that was over the ridge that I was climbing. As I saw him ski down below, I eagerly watched to see where he would drop. It looked like he was going to ski the chutes too, as planned. As I finally got to the summit, I was initially a little bummed to be stuck underneath a cloud. Then I realized, this is epic, I am under the mushroom cup of a lenticular cloud. These types of clouds usually form before inclement weather and they also usually signify high winds, yet neither of those were worries for today. It was a unique situation and I quickly began to think, “damn this is a cool experience.”
In this photo: Zac Barbiasz (me) on the summit underneath a lenticular cloud. The one day I decided to wear sunscreen…
In this photo: An amazing lenticular cloud forms above me on Mt. Adams.
I stood on the summit for about ten minutes and then followed my way down the approach I had came up, and then traversed over to the entrance of the Mount Adams SW Chutes. This is probably the best ski line on Mount Adams and these long chutes can be seen from quite the distance. It is about a 3,000vft drop down a consistent 40+ degree slope. Meaning, this is a perfect line to ski. Without GPS it can be done, but its surely easier with it, and I am very grateful that my maps loaded. As you approach the chutes, they kind of roll over, so you cannot see over them to the bottom. As a result, its really nice to have a map that brings certainty to the situation. I followed my way over to the chutes and the pulled up for about 20 minutes or so as I waited for the snow to soften. Since the cloud was above, the snow didn’t soften as quickly as it would have without it. My patience grew thin though, and after a few snacks and some more looking around, I decided now was a fine time to drop. I took a few turns, the snow was firm but plenty edge-able, and I continued to ski (skiers right) down the SW Chutes. The snow got continuously softer as I descended and my thighs got continuously more exhausted! I definitely screamed in excitement at just how long and good of a run this was. I was also elated to have skied another Cascade volcano (Adams is the third highest), and do be down safely. It was great to be able to cherish this line and to turn around and look at my tracks, and Sams too, which I crossed up below the chutes.
In this photo: Looking back towards the Southwest Chutes on Mt. Adams.
This was a great road trip that reminded me to listen to my thoughts, but also how to listen to my thoughts. Sometimes it takes a crisis, whether personal or a pandemic, to slow you down and help you smell the roses. I spent a couple days after Adams rambling around Oregon, back to Hood, back to Bend, and eventually even out to the coast for a day to meet Wes in Reedsport. I am incredibly grateful for the freedom in my life and for being one of the lucky ones that gets to ski these things. ’ll say it again, oh how sweet it is when things work out. Appreciate them, its not always that fluid, both in life and in skiing.
In this photo: Wes Noone relaxes under an Oregon Coast bungalow after a session.