A series of three new interpretive signs at the Old Ski Bowl on Mt. Shasta leads visitors on a tour of the 1995 avalanche that resulted in what looks like a clear cut amidst pristine panoramic views at the end of Everitt Memorial Highway.
Designed and developed over the past two years by Friends of the Mount Shasta Avalanche Center, the signs were installed Aug. 26 along a short trail with views of the three-mile long avalanche slide path.
The signs explain the history of the Jan. 9, 1995 event that “contained enough snow to fill 100 football fields five feet deep,”?according to FMSAC. The avalanche was of a magnitude that occurs once every 300 to 500 years.
A trailhead marker is visible on the west side of the highway just below the lower Ski Bowl parking lot.
“The signs are designed to last for decades,” FMSAC Executive Director Keith Potts states in a press release. “They are full-color, UV resistant and enamel-coated with removable stands so we can safely store them in winter. They’re beautiful!”
FMSAC encourages those who are curious to stop and explore the area while the road remains open this fall.
FMSAC says it worked with the USDA Forest Service Mt. Shasta Avalanche Center and Wilderness Department to install the signs.
The mission of FMSAC is to support the Mt. Shasta Avalanche Center in its efforts to enhance public awareness of backcountry avalanche hazards and safety measures, promote winter snow safety and provide information concerning snow conditions and weather to winter recreationalists throughout the Mt. Shasta area.