Bronco

Looks like a wallow fest right now. Personally, I'd not be caught on that terrain in an unconsolidated snowpack.

How about the alternate route Beckey mentions? "In late season it may be necessary to leave the finger for rocks to the left and traverse ledges on the E face around and up to the summit." Have you ever checked that out? Seems like Juan told me it was downsloping mid-fifth with limited opportunity for gear and bad potential consequences if a fall into the moat occurred.

If you can spare a weekend, Icicle Creek probably has the most easy trad routes and pretty good rock for a beginner to learn good placements. Otherwise, you can't beat the quality of granite at Index, just not a lot of sub 5.8 routes other than the Great Norther Slab area.

Good reminder to brush up on cramponing and self arrest skills?

12,800 seems an unusual bivi. I can't help but wonder if this was a scheduled stop.

I was just looking back at climbing dates and we were up there on July 8th 2012, a big snow year. I recall we were one of the first teams on the TFT that summer and there was still a bunch of snow. The rangers were laughing about having to dig out the BB privy over the 4th of July as it was still under several feet of snow.

If you don't have any luck with responses here, you can call the Marblemount ranger station and ask them if they have any reports yet. Despite the wet spring, it seems like snowpack is about average for this time of year but melting pretty fast.

Very cool TR, one of the best I've seen on CC.com in a long time!

Projected opening date of October 6, 2014. Any bets on when it actually opens? http://www.wfl.fhwa.dot.gov/projects/wa/suiattle/newsletters.htm

If you don't have any luck here, check www.turns-all-year.com as there seems to be a much more crotchety attitude and likely an older crew who may have known your Dad.

Maybe they're hoping the rope slips through the device and not jerk them into the wall face first when the climber falls.

I asked Lowell about it at Vertfest in 2013. He told me that if someone else wasn't willing to pick it up it was probably done. Apparently nobody else has been able to take it on.

Does this mean he's been guiding all of these trips without a permit? I always assumed he was a guide of the first degree solely based on the eyewear.

I was curious about the snowmobiling myself and was shocked to discover that snowmobiles are allowed up to the White River Campground and other closed roads in the park during the winter. Seems a little out of character with the park but it's sanctioned. Dave - very bizarre twist. You guys clearly wanted the climb badly and were willing to take risks both (ethical and technical) that I wouldn't deem acceptable. Better choices next time eh?

Thanks dudes, after the difficult skimo season I had this year, I was pretty stoked for a successful and fun outing. I continue to be amazed by the Dynafit TLT5-M boot. Light, climbs and hikes well and makes a punter like me appear somewhat competent skiing down. Stopping on the summit was the first time I've noticed cold toes in them and it was pretty dang cold.

Burly and you get extra points for getting home for Easter! Nothing worse than having an epic except when you're supposed to be at a family function while having an epic.

Trip: Mt. Hood - Old Chute Date: 4/19/2014 Trip Report: Took the family to Timberline Lodge for Easter Weekend and decided to bring my touring gear in case they wanted to sleep in and weather was suitable for skiing on the upper mountain. As luck would have it, the sky was clear at 3:30 on Saturday morning and temps moderate. After finally locating my beacon in a secret pocket of my pack, I was off at 4:25 am. Skinning up the groomers was fast, reaching the top of the Palmer in a little over an hour. Ski crampons would've been good above that, iced up sastrugi was not good or fast so I resigned to booting up to the Hogsback where I originally considered skiing from. Chatting with a couple of groups descending I learned the upper mountain held decent snow from the day before and I'd never been up Mt. Hood before. Summit or plummet dude! The storm forecast to arrive that afternoon hadn't materialized yet so I continued up, traversing styrofoam into the Old Chute. The very top of the chute was a little icy, and the roar of the wind on the summit ridge was deafening. I encountered a couple on the summit ridge who were hurriedly trying to descend but asked me to take a quick photo of them triumphantly hoisting an ice ax in the air on the summit of Oregon's highest point. As they scurried off I realized the summit was vacant, a rarity on this peak. Loitering was discouraged by the wind and clouds rapidly closing in so I donned my puffy and took a quick photo just after 8:00. Briefly considering a ski from the very summit was dismissed due to the rimed up ridge and hellacious wind which I'd estimate was gusting to 70 mph, threatening to whisk away unsecured gear from the mountain. I caught up to the couple who were battling out the descent by front pointing down the top of the chute. I felt pretty secure and frenched down to the spot where the chute widened out and stomped out a small platform to transition from crampons to skis. The transition only took a few minutes and, with some trepidation, I leaned into the first turn right, to get clear of the couple now moving below me. The conditions were good, but a bit thin. Edge penetration was acceptable on the firm surface. I will admit I allowed myself to feel a little smug carving turns past the folks front pointing down the upper mountain. With only a dozen or so climbers to keep my sluff from hitting, I was able to relax and enjoy the ski until reaching the bottom of crater rock where it turned icy. I briefly considered booting down this section but felt it too humiliating to walk down the mountain carrying skis and toughed it out. Back at the lodge by 9 in time to watch the upper mountain disappear in the clouds. Soaking in the hot tub rendered much needed warmth. We enjoyed catching up on reading by the fireplace and watching the storm buffeting the trees and people skittering across the parking lot. According to the Timberline weather update, the winds reached 60mph at the lodge that afternoon. Not sure where all the new snow ended up, it looked to be snowing and blowing all afternoon. Riding the lifts on Sunday in the sun was fantastic, the groomers were superb and constant stream of spindrift streaming off the summit was only matched by the hoards hiking and skinning toward the upper mountain. Most terrifying moment of the trip was our 15 year old taking her turn driving through Seattle. Photo my wife put together for FB. Gear Notes: Light axe, whippet, probably would've been fine with just the whippet. Ski crampons would've been good but I assumed I'd descend if I encountered conditions necessitating them as the skiing would be rather lame which it certainly was for that part. Approach Notes: Skins, dynafits.

Good snow for climbing this morning and skiing to the bottom of Crater rock. Below that, not so good until you hit the groomers. No sign of the bergschrund yet. Ascent via the Old Chute as parties who had ascended the Pearly Gates warned of blue ice. Old Chute pretty straight forward, little icy the last 30' to the ridge which is spectacularly rimed up. Pretty darn windy on the summit ridge. Some small ice chunks falling, up to the size of a brick. Of course the storm forecast for tonight will probably change conditions dramatically so YMMV. Hopefully it dumps for riding lifts tomorow.

Mazama has several easy topropeable routes (5.4- 5.6) at Sun Rock and Fun Rock. Short approach but not the most comfortable belay position.

Kind of crazy conditions for April, I'm surprised to see so much ice. I wonder if the dry and warm weather in January didn't allow for more recent snow to bond well and it's slid off? I would've expected a soft snow grovel upwards and variable but good ski conditions. Does anyone know how the Emmons is looking right now for skiing? An unconventional approach to LR but well written and some great photos.

ok. [video:youtube]1IAXrxlDK6c

Close call, glad nobody was seriously injured. I'd love to see Ivan squeezing into that car.

Nice TR, makes me look forward to warm rock this summer! Old guy tip - get a $5 head-net for camp. It weighs next to nothing and although dorky, your partners will be jealous. Cigars are pretty effective repellent as well.

in this analogy, the M's would be the women's team? lol oh shit, is that disrespectful? wait, can I still swear? I don't see a lot of swearing in the NY Times.... No swearing. Thanks!

I'm out of town on the 19th but did order a sweet new t-shirt.