Shasta Mountain Guides — Attraction in Mount Shasta

Intro to Backcountry Ski Trip in Mid-May. My experience with SMG was 5 stars from the first phone call to the end of the guided trip! I learned how to alpine ski only a few months ago and got hooked. I wanted to try backcountry skiing but wanted a 'taster' of what it was like before investing in gear. Luckily I saw SMG had an intro class. But my husband, had had a heart attack and triple bypass in January (fit guy, age 44, due to genetics) and only started skiing again so I wasn't sure if such a trip was a good idea. I called SMG and Michael called me back. He was extremely kind, patient, informative and helped me create an ideal introductory experience, e.g. logistics, equipment rental, recommended lodgings (see my review on Summit Lofts). It's clear that SMG care that people have a great time in Mt. Shasta and they are passionate about their work, which extends to their treatment of people. When we had to reschedule our trip due to a family issue, they were great in rearranging everything without making me feel guilty. When we arrived for our trip and met Michael, it was like meeting an old friend. As for the trip itself -- John Michael was our guide and we were so blessed to have had such an extremely experienced guide, but more importantly, such a good guy! He spent an hour walking through backcountry equipment, checked in what our goals were for the day, offered suggestions and we were off. At the trail head and throughout the trek, John Michael gave us a (appropriate) bite-size lesson in avalanche and backcountry safety, how to work the boots and skis and technique in skiing. We skiied for about 2 hours, had lunch, skiied a bit more, practiced using the beacons and probes and then headed back. John Michael regaled us with stories of his guiding trips, hobbies & knowledge. He even came with us to Fifth Season to go over gear and recommendations. Given his experience and normal type of [extreme] guiding trips, it was like being given a swim lesson by Michael Phelps (assuming Phelps was an amazing instructor). Like the rest of the SMG crew, John Michael is an authentic, generous, patient and passionate outdoors-person that can work with anyone and make them feel valued. We can't wait to do another trip with SMG and couldn't...

The experience of a lifetime. I was on the 4 day glacier course with one other dude and we had two guides. First day hike to base camp was a true test carrying 50-60 lb backpacks with all of our essentials. Once at basecamp near 10,000 ft our guides, Kyle & Cooper, setup camp and started a warm dinner while an amazing weather system came through camp. They provided dinner and shortly after the sun peaked out from below the clouds on the horizon with an amazing sunset. Our 2nd day consisted of glacier training with ice axes, rope & knots training that apply to climbing, and preparations for the next day summit attempt. A lot of rest from the previous day and to be ready for going up. 3rd day was a 2am start with all the gear heading up the rocky terrain, which soon turned into snow and glacier. We traversed across the Hotlam Glacier while using our rope skills and ice axes. It was a very challenging physical hike to the top the took 7-8 hours, but was beyond rewarding when it came to the mental part of the challenge. The views and cloud formations with the isolation and 14k height were breathtaking. After soaking it in for a while we began our descent back to base camp, which took 2 hours. Next day we packed up and headed to the trailhead for a short drive back to the town of Shasta. When it comes to this mountain I'd recommend Mount Shasta Guides. Chris runs a great program dedicated to safety, fun, and getting everyone to push their limits wherever that may be. 10 out of...

I cannot say enough AMAZING things about Shasta Mountain Guides. When I was trying to plan a way to conquer this dream of mine to summit Mt. Shasta there were two things that were paramount when deciding who to go with- Safety and Honest Communication. Fun was going to be had no matter what so long as you have a good idea of what you're getting into and remain flexible and fluid (mother nature does her own thing and we play by her rules!) SMG has an incredible reputation and let me tell you- they blew my expectations out of this world. The owner, Chris, cares deeply about his guides, his clients and the mountain itself. He hiked up the mountain to drop off emergency equipment needed and kept climbers safe the entire trip by keeping eyes and ears on the groups. My guides, Dave, Mikey and Bill, were the absolute dream team. These guys seriously deserve trophies. They were heros up there. They were honest. kind, extremely knowledgeable and so patient with each and every one of us. And they make delicious mountain meals! I cannot tell you how grateful I am for those guys and you and expect the same thing from SMG too! Don't waste your time looking anywhere else to get up to the summit of Mt. Shasta- SMG is the only way to go. They keep you safe, they keep you happy and having fun and will do everything in their power to get you up...