21 Days, 12 Summits: The Prep
As winter storms lingered through the month of April in Utah, my head was already in the spring skiing game. I had been planning my month long west coast volcano trip since December 2016. I still had a few crucial pieces of gear to purchase and some climbing permits to acquire before taking off. My start date was May 6th: early for the Cascades especially after a record winter, but would prove to provide fantastic corn skiing and some spring pow. With my Ford Escape outfitted for the adventure, I left Salt Lake City and headed West to Mount Shasta, California.
Starting off the trip with a 14er was nothing short of a challenge. Mount Shasta peaks off at 14,180 towering feet above sea level. All winter, I had been sleeping at 7,500 vertical feet at the top of Chickadee chairlift in employee housing at Snowbird Resort in Utah. Every day I huffed and puffed above 10K hauling bamboo, rope, signs, and tools across the mountain: and skied buckets and buckets of white gold.
I had initially curated this May ski adventure around my own personal goals. My spreadsheet of ascent routes was catalogued and my car outfitted for the adventure. But, as I reached out to a variety of climbing and ski partners, I soon realized that this trip would be molded by their input as well: a forever fun aspect of trip planning.
The volcanoes I chose began in California and snaked their way north to Washington. I met up with and made new friends along the way: quickly realizing that mountain friendships are electric and long lasting.
I had dedicated the prior 13 months of my life to skiing in the backcountry. Choosing to ski the Cascades Spring 2017 connected my journey as an athlete full circle. I grew up skiing Mt. Hood as a tween so I could train for downhill racing during the off-season. That volcano then became my first backcountry experience: summiting on my second attempt May 6th 2014. Since that moment, I have hopped hemispheres to ski every season. Let's just say my skin is nothing close to tan but I'm still not sick of this endless winter.