Trip: Mt Hood - Pearly Gates

Date: 2/7/2010

Trip Report:
Unfortunately no photos from this adventure, but my partner did have a video camera and I will link the footage when he gets it put together.

Forrest and I went up sunday morning early looking to climb Leutholds, and made great time up to Illumination Rock, but once there determined that Leutholds was out due to new snow and me being a whiny bitch about the logistics of carrying our board/skiis all the way up knee deep postholing (doable, but not fun). After resting in the avy pit we had dug, we decided to head up to Pearly Gates or Devils Kitchen Headwall (inspired by the earlier TR). We decided to skin up the west side of Crater Rock, and in doing so, realized why everyone goes to the east side of crater rock. We picked our way through the muddy steam vents, slipping and sliding all over. After collapsing a few snow bridges over small vents we made it up to the hogsback in time for sunrise.
We chugged our way up through deep, but consolidated fresh snow to the west Pearly Gates chute. 150 ft of clawing up 40-50 degree sugar snow led us to a fun, clean, 30 ft step of BOMBER blue water ice at about WI2. From there it was a quick run up to the top. We downclimbed the same line down to our packs. From there, we both agreed, was one of the best ski/board descents either of us had ever experienced. I got to rip on my new slpitboard and Forrest rocked his ATs the whole way down on five inches of 99% virgin powder.[/b]

[b]Gear Notes:
two tools, two long screws, two pickets, transceiver, shovels, gps, video camera

Approach Notes:
knee deep post-holing was the name of the game whenever we weren't skinning. From about 9000 ft and up, there was significant hoar frost forming on the snow. This may lead to increased avalanche danger after the next snowfall. Beware. Aside from that, the snow was consolidated very well, for being so soft. We didn't see any shearing even on the steepest terrain we could find.

Nice!! What did the weather turn out to be

nice. my pops was in town from out east visiting for the weekend at the tail end of a business trip to cali. i took him up to t-line on Sunday afternoon/evening for the first time and some snowshoeing and brought along a pair of binocs so he could check out the upper mountain. Saw your beautiful tracks coming out of the pearly gates chutes!

The weather was absolutely perfect. Blue bird almost the entire day above T-line and almost no wind as well.

I am going to try and get some of that video put together as soon as I can.

I've been thinking about the epic ski decent ever since, SO SWEET!

Nice Ian let's see Forrest's vid

Forrest, feel free to add shenanigans to the list. I figured for the TR I'd keep it cut and dry, but the video will certainly "out" us on the reality of the trip.

Awesome, sounds like you guys had a great time! I want to see the mud footage though.

Here is the link to my video I threw together. Let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvLauH_RlrA

-Forrest

i think it looks cooler when you link to it strait from yer tr


cool shit - shame you didn't get the camera over to the reid bowl - much hawter over there!

Nice forrest! it was cute and all with the music, but wheres the exploding roman candle, and the muddy steam vents, and the bitching?

I thought I would make it eloquent. Maybe I'll make another one with the bitching and the steam vents, haha. Give everyone the reality version.

Oh and I have the exploding roman candle up. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL9zjk1SChs&feature=player_embedded

How do I link it straight from the TR?

Did you loose a piece of a crampon during the climb? I was up there on Monday and found it at the top of the Pearly Gates. I don't know how to describe the piece but I'm sure you'd know if you were missing it.

I'm in touch with the guy who might below to that crampon piece. Is it a Grivel linking bar?

not either of ours.

Nice vid, thanks for posting!

Didn't it feel weird to climb alone - on HOOD? And break your own trail?

very!

wow that firecracker video is FUNNY! glad you are ok, looks like pretty ideal conditions and a great time.

Nice work Ian and Forrest! !

I had to re-edit something on the video so the link doesn't work any longer. Here is the Hood video again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keHMKpAjquQ

Thanks for putting up the video again.
My wife said it was so beautiful up there she would like to go as long as she didn't have to use ice axes and crampons.

She won't be going. Sharp things and her do not mix.
Just consider the guy she married. Not the sharpest tool in the shed.

just get a 200m rope, climb up from hogsback, drag her ass up, and lower her back down. No pointy things involved!