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Saint Helens vs Shasta

Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2024 10:38 pm
by Enabreu
I’m curious if anyone has done both, with snow, that could give me an idea of how they compare. Just climbed Saint Helens, so I got a taste of how long and steep that last mile is. Elevation aside, I’m curious to know how it compares to the section on Shasta before the Red Banks. Is the incline and difficulty pretty comparable, or is one much steeper than the other?

Re: Saint Helens vs Shasta

Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2024 7:05 am
by Wildernessjane
Assuming you were on the Worm Flow route of MSH, I don’t think there is a drastic difference in steepness. Route descriptions for Avalanche Gulch list the steepness at 30-35 degrees and I think the Worm Flows is described as up to 30 degrees. That said, the section before the Red Banks on Shasta was pretty icy when we did it (late May) and we used crampons and ice axes. We only used Microspikes on MSH. I thought the sketchiest part of MSH was making our way over to the summit proper and back, which not a lot of other groups seemed to be doing when we were there.

Re: Saint Helens vs Shasta

Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2024 11:09 am
by Enabreu
Awesome, thank you! :-D