Crackman

Gates Open -- leave the sportscar behind

You are correct. Taken with the early morning sun on Thanksgiving. Now you see why I had to return to climb it the next day!

Scouted the north side routes early Thanksgiving day. Most looked in good shape, well covered in snow. Returned friday night with two others to give one of them a go. We started the approach at 10pm hoping to climb most of the route before sunrise (and minimize the chance of getting clobbered by rockfall). With an inversion in effect, the air temp was a balmy 45-50 deg. We dropped down on the Elliot glacier and were able to navigate our way around crevasses by sticking high on the left side. The plan was to move from left to right across the face, considering each potential route (North Face variations, Elliot headwall, and finally Sunshine) until we found the one we wanted to commit to. Having forgotten the photographs and route descriptions in the car combined with an approach in complete darkness led to some uncertainty as to where the North Face routes actually began. We decided to start up the face by traversing across a short section of frozen rock then climbing up the first snow shoot that we believed led to the leftmost Couloir. The next 2000 ft of the climb was a series of running belays on steep snow (~50-55 deg.) with the occasional picket or rock gear placement. The snow was firm, perfect for front-pointing, sometimes taking the shaft at other times the pick. When the sun finally came up, we realized that we had been drifting to the left and were now close to the Cooper Spur Route, so we angled back right towards the true face. The summit was strangely isolated for such a fine morning. The sun was warm, no wind, and clear views in all directions. Surprisingly, there was still no one coming up from the south side. When we got down to the Pearly Gates we learned why. Awaiting us was a short steep section of loose rock and ice, which dared to be crossed. It was a pretty sketchy down-climb, definitely the crux of the whole climb. The rockfall on the south side was also getting pretty bad by midmorning. Had the luxury of a friend to meet us at Timberline and drive us back around to our car.

Climbed the NE face of Hood Fri-Sat and decended the South Side. Climb is in great shape. Never expected down climbing the Pearly Gates would be the crux.

Guess I'll have to decide just how "spicy" I like it!

Planning to head up Fri-Sat and see if any of the NE routes might go - Cooper Spur, N Face, Elliot HW or Sunshine. Curious to hear conditions if anyone has been on that side of the mountain recently. I'm guessing it's pretty thin. May be looking for a partner as well.

I'm the guy that tried the KER and backed down. We followed the other team's alternate route up the gulley. This required one short (~40ft) vertical pitch to regain the ridge. We did finally summit around 2pm. The pinnacle still was in great shape. Would have loved to have a second tool though.

Climbed the north face of Chair Peak Sunday morning with my partner Steve. A month ago my first attempt at the route was cut short due to time and weather. In our favor this time, we had snowshoes, clear weather, and an earlier start. Working against us, were warmer temps, less stable snow, and bigger crevasses. We arrived at the trailhead late Sat night from Portland. Tried to grab a few hours of sleep, which was interrupted by snowcats and horn-honking partiers in the neighboring parking lot. Finally getting some REM, we didn’t awake till the third back-up alarm at went off at 2:45am. Half dead, we jump started ourselves with coffee, OJ, and Red Bull. Finally started up the trail at 4am. Snowshoes were a must for the approach. With cloud cover all night the snow had stayed soft and heavy. By the time we reached the ridge extending from the NE buttress, the sun was up and the sky clearing. We dropped our extra gear. That’s when somehow I made the mistake of leaving my sunglasses behind but taking my headlamp --just perfect for a bright sunny day of climbing. Snow was much firmer after we crossed the ridge and began traversing up and over. The crevasse at the base of the north face had grown considerably since my last visit but was still offering passage via a couple thin bridges. We did the climb in two long running-belay pitches. Conditions changed constantly throughout the climb. At times we had the pick of one tool ½ inch in ice and the shaft of the other buried to the hilt in snow. Occasional pro was a mixture of small stoppers, pickets, and trees. We summited at 11am. Beautiful views of Rainier, Baker, and Stewart greeted us. Ok,Ok, so we opted not to go the final 50ft to the true summit, figuring we better start down before the avi risk got any worse. Sure enough the south-east side was pretty soft by then. There were several small releases nearby as we descended. Got back safe to the car by 2:30. This route won’t be in too much longer. I’d recommend getting an early start on a clear night, returning before the sun does its dirty work.