Mount Shasta skiing

Epic Summer Skiing on Mount Shasta

Few things excite a ski bum more than being able to play in the powder all 12 months of the year. And thanks to a banner snowfall year, Mount Shasta has almost* been able to deliver year-round skiing.

*Ski season on Mount Shasta is officially over. If you choose to venture into the backcountry, it’s at your own risk. And delight. But mostly risk.

While our sticks and skins get a much-needed rest in our gear closets, we can take a moment to show our gratitude to this towering behemoth of a mountain for all she has given us so far this year.

Mount Shasta skiing, Mount Shasta

So in the words of Jimmy Fallon…

Thank you, Mount Shasta, for being one of California’s great 14-thousand foot peaks.

Thank you, Mount Shasta, for being an active (but not angry!) volcano.

Thank you, Mount Shasta, for rising more than ten-thousand feet from your base. Your massive volume is a magnet for snowstorms curving down from the Gulf of Alaska, which deposit the huge amounts of snow on the mountain that remains throughout the spring and summer.

Thank you, Mount Shasta, for being a loving home to 8 glaciers, which are, in spite of the warming climate, maintaining their size.

Thank you, Mount Shasta, for some of the best “corn snow” in the world, which earns you the honor of being one of the best backcountry ski mountains on the planet! (Note: “corn snow” is snow with a rough granular surface resulting from alternate thawing and freezing, not snow made of corn kernels.)

Thank you, Mount Shasta, for having 150% average snowfall in 2017.

Thank you, Mount Shasta, for opening up the Douglas chairlift at Mt. Shasta Ski Park so that we can celebrate the end of summer on the Black Diamond Grill Deck.

Thank you, Mount Shasta, for letting us escape the 100-degree days by making snow angels and having snowball fights in shorts and t-shirts.

Thank you, Mount Shasta, for seamlessly combining two great mountain sports—climbing and skiing.

We love you, Mount Shasta. We can’t wait to hit the slopes again with you very soon.


To immerse yourself in all things Shasta, pick up a copy of the new edition of Mount Shasta by Andrew Seltzers and Michael Zanger.

For updates on Mount Shasta’s seasons, sign up for the Wilderness Press newsletter.

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