Mt Shasta Ski Park

Mt Shasta is a Northern California ski area, located about two hours south of Medford Oregon along SR-89. This park has 32 named trails spread out over 425 acres with a difficulty mix of 20/55/25 for novice, intermediate, and advanced trails respectively. Shasta also has three progression terrain parks which includes a 300-foot Superpipe. There is also night skiing offered on 14 trails for those who like skiing under the stars. Shasta receives about 280 inches of snow each year and supplements that with snowmaking over 65 percent of the resort. Moving around the mountain is covered by three triple chair lifts and one surface lift, capable of moving 6200 skiers per hour up the mountain. The vertical at Shasta is nice for a California resort, clocking in at 1390 feet.

Where to Ski Shasta           

Shasta is split into three peaks: Marmot Ridge, Douglas Butte, and Coyote Butte. In general, novice and intermediate trails are found at Marmot, and advanced trails are on Coyote and Douglas. There’s a dedicated learning area and slow zone around the lodge that’s also serviced by its own surface lift.

Once a novice is ready to progress out of the learning zone, taking the left lift up to Marmot will open four runs. Easy Street is a gentle short cruiser with a sharp left halfway through that leads into the long Midnite Sun cruiser. Alternately, Blue Grouse is a wide open groomer that runs down to the base lodge, letting beginners experience all 650 feet of the vertical that Marmot offers.

Intermediate skiers will progress quickly past the three trails that Marmot offers, although Telemark is a nice bumpy groomer, and Challenge has some moguls that offer nice powder skiing. The best intermediate run (and often the most overlooked by the advanced skiers around) is found off of Coyote. Eagles Flight is an upper tier intermediate steep (for Shasta) that has a nice descent with a wide open cruiser that hangs a sharp dogleg to the left before ending up back at the base of the Coyote Triple lift.

For advanced skiers looking for bowl skiing, West Face is a wide open area with a gentle drop in that leads to a great time finding your way down, over and around bumps and short drops. For ungroomed glade skiing, head to the right as you get off the Douglas Triple. The terrain there is unmarked, but it’s some of the best glade and chute skiing in Northern California. For a pure steep, Black Bear off Coyote is a traditional fall line run that runs under the lift line. Coyote is also where the Superpipe is found, as well as the advanced terrain park, Revolution; expect to see some wicked tricks while you’re on the lift.

Après Ski at Shasta

Shasta has quite a few restaurants available for skiers looking to kick their feet up between runs or after a day on the slopes. A quick slice of good pizza is available at BC’s in the upper lodge, perfect for grabbing and going. For a good lunch with a great view of the mountains, hit the deck at the Coyote Grill. Microbrews and cold soda mingle with great sandwiches like the Tri-tip on Sourdough. If you’re looking for a quick caffeine pick me up or a fast lunch, hit Mud Creek next to the ticket window. Coffee, hot press sandwiches and great breakfast burritos are only some of the options available.

At the end of the day (or night), when you want to mingle and unwind, Sliders Bar is the place on the slopes to catch up with your friends. Live music happens every Friday and Saturday night, and numerous local microbrews on tap and by the bottle are available with full bar service.