thanks so much for this tutorial. I successfully rooted my shift last night! It's the first time I've ever rooted a phone.
a couple months ago i got my shift stuck in a bootloop because i messed up the downgrade part.
If your a n00b like me and are worried about messing up your phone, read the wiki, do searches/ask questions for anything you don't understand, read this whole thread, reread the tutorial, then follow the tutorial, take your time and pay attention to what you're doing.
this might be redundant advice, but i messed up my previous phone because i didn't fully understand what i was doing.
again thanks to everyone involved and sharing how to do this!
Glad this was able to help you.
I just went through the process again today with a new shift and I have updated the guide to be even more user friendly.
Please post any questions in this thread!
Coming soon: How to flash PRLs!