Mt Shasta Casaval Ridge in winter is a fairly serious affair for experienced winter mountaineers. Climbers are expected to have well-honed skills with an ice axe, crampons, self arrest, and self-belay.

Casaval Ridge Overview
Casaval Ridge is the striking, most prominent ridge on Mt. Shasta's south side. It forms the spine of Mt. Shasta's south side, framed by Avalanche Gulch on the east, and Cascade Gulch on the west. It is one of the mountain's most prominent features, & is visible for great distances.

Seasoned Mt. Shasta climbers frequently rate Casaval Ridge as one of the most enjoyable routes on the mountain. The route has several caveats: it is aesthetically pleasing, being the mountain's direct & continuous southwest ridge; while not overly technical, it traverses steep slopes, has a few sections of steep snow climbing, and a few portions with appreciable exposure; it is one of the most obvious winter routes, as there is only one section with avalanche potential (under uncertain snow conditions, however, it is always a good idea to err on the side of caution & treat all slopes as suspect until they have been confirmed otherwise); & the views are tremendous, & only get better the higher one goes- from the surrounding lowlands (Strawberry Valley, Mt. Shasta City, nearby Black Butte) to the Klamaths (Mt. Eddy is prominent, & the seemingly tiny Castle Crags are obvious), to Lassen Peak, the anchor of the southern Cascades, to awesome views of surrounding Avalanche & Cascade Gulches.

For more information, check out the summit post page for Casaval Ridge

Itenerary (weather permitting)
Thursday night - drive to Mt. Shasta. Camp in the parking lot at Bunny Flat trail head (6900').
Friday - climb to ~10,000' and establish base camp
Saturday - summit
Sunday - drive home

Winter ascents are very dependent on weather conditions, so we will finalize plans the week prior to the trip.