The 2.5 hr drive from Seattle to the Heather Meadows Parking area was uneventful, but when we arrived at 12:00PM parking was FULL. Recommend arriving earlier, we were able to sneak into a spot right by the garage after sleeping in and getting donuts.
Bluebird conditions, 30 degrees F, no wind. Snow conditions were about 6 inches of fluffy powder sitting on top of the rain crust from earlier in the week. At artist’s point I measured 5.5 feet of snow while Katie and I practiced our avy scenarios and took some photos. Trail was well tracked out and our casual ascent from parking area to artist’s point took us about 2 hours up, 1 hour down. Overall avy conditions seemed stable on less angled slopes heading up to artist’s point. During our ascent and looking south I noticed what looked like 3 wet loose slides on west facing slopes. I noticed few wind blown features on the trail. The powder conditions on top of the crust made me wish I had my dream back country touring setup ready to go.
Mt Shuksan, Mt Baker, and other surrounding peaks near and far were out in all their winter glory. Being one of the mountains that heavily influenced me to pursue climbing, and being of my first successful alpine pursuits any day spent around Mt. Shuksan is a good day. We love this classic PNW snowshoe and highly recommend it whether your on skis, splitboard, or snowshoes. Just respect the avalanche forecast, and travel safely!
Necessary gear:
- Avalanche beacon, probe and shovel (and knowledge on how to use)
- Snowshoes and poles or ski touring gear
- Warm layers
- Food, water
- Camera
- Headlight
- Map and compass or GPS
Other Resources:
Katie and Shuksan 
Lee and Shuksan 
view from artist’s point 
Mt. Baker 
Mt. Shuksan 
Mt. Shuksan