billbob

Powder mostly, a little ice on the moraine. Nice afternoon for a training run, warm temps are here. Might want to be careful on the WCR for another day or three.

Taken yesterday PM, lots of new snow up there. DKHW

Great TR, way to wallow in the Wallowas. Those are some interesting photos, had no idea there was great climbs to be had.

At least we can put both this and your recent FA's in the book at the same time! Nice too we have another month before final edits are over and everything gets sent off to the publisher.

Funny thing, Water, I had a similar experience on this route. We had low vis conditions for a while, never got back on route but instead continued up the Reid until dead-ending at the top. Those can be some long days.

Out-of-towners, wanting to remain anonymous.

Found it makes a big difference- previously after boiling and cooling to ca. 70F, I would dilute back to about 19L using filtered tap water... gets pretty cold in winter so the end result might easily be 66F-68F. Then would add yeast and airlock. Much better results if after the boil I only cool to about 100F, then add the freaking cold filtered water to dilute with final overall temp at ca. 75F - 73F. After aerating the temp is about 72F. Then add yeasties and stow in closet ( keep hotpad in closet to maintain constant temp around 70F. Minor detail but has had major impact on my last few batches. These days I seem to spend more $ on hops than malt. Damn! Maybe go to dry hopping? Liking the new Ranger beer from New Belgium, good shit.

Would the two gentlemen who climbed Yocum Ridge last weekend please PM me ?

Good TR, thanks !

Great Pics ! Sounds like a long day on the Spur. You can also cross the WRC at 6,100', just right of the Silcox Hut. Fewer crevasses :-)

Kiwi Dood - Go up to the Hogsback, ca. 10,500' elev. Descend boot track down the other side, below the Hot Rocks fumarole area. Face right and rope up, ascend the 700' slope up to the summit ridge. Be advised the far (north) side of the ridge may have a large cornice in winter. Face right (east) and climb the modest knife-edge summit ridge to the east until reaching the highest point in Oregon, over 2 miles in altitude. Enjoy! Then get your ass back down to the Hogsback before the sun reaches the upper slopes. Climbers get nailed by hard ice below the summit ridge all the time, sometimes with serious results. Minimize objective hazards by getting up there early and back down promptly. Better bring at least an extra ice tool if heading up the Pearly Gates and be prepared for 30' - 50' of steep ice :-) If you see anything like the photo below you may want to head down in a hurry. Chad Anderson photo

The Canadians are coming ?! Here ?? Is it really just because they want to drink good beer and chase our hot babes?

Congratulations Wayne !! Thanks for the inspiration, and thanks for all your help with the Guide.

Way to go !

Great TR, sorry I missed the fun !

Don't forget to bring an extra apple, Mr Clam My research finds there have been 18 lives lost on Cooper Spur, starting with Barbara Drum, Sept 3, 1924, rockfall. Most fatalities have been on descent, contributing factors being soft snow, high winds, ice & rockfall. All have occurred during late Spring through late Summer. That said, thousands have successfully done the Cooper Spur route. Many recommend descending the SS, a few prefer return via the Sunshine route. Be damn sure of the weather and double-damn sure that you can find the start of your chosen descent path in a cold windy icy white-out.

Timing is everything...

Walked over to I-Rock today for pics, went up SS approach to ca. 9400' then went left. Snow conditions continue to improve thanks to the warm days and cold nights. Winds today maybe a little lower compared to yesterday. This weekend is climb time for sure.

badass climber guys don't bring pads or sleeping bags 'cuz they don't leave them in the car at the trailhead and uhhh, I mean they don't uh forget them and they really don't need them even if they did forget them. And if they totally space and forget their bag then they obviously didn't need it in the first place because they are serious mountaineers totally capable of sleeping on the snow in the rain while someone else is warm and cozy and singing horribly off-key.

Would you recommend making a yeast starter when using slap packs (for ale, ca. 8 lb LME?

We could use my pics of you heading up the Spur, climbing into the clouds, right before the thunder and rain had me running back to the climbers hut. Looking up Cooper Spur and feeling un-manly: Looking down and feeling anxious: View from hut, drinking heavily:

Wayne is working on the BS section in the forthcoming Mt Hood Climbers Guide, along with input from Kevin Russell, Steve Elder, and others. Anyone else who has climbed (rapping down in a storm doesn't count, TH) is welcome to contribute. We have close-ups of John Scurlock aerial photos with digital overlays (Tim Olson). Coming soon to a store near you sometime this summer... See my post in the Author Request Forum

Congratulations Drew (and dad !!!) Pics ??

Thanks, Jon !

The new "Mt Hood Climbers Guide" is approaching completion of the first draft but we still have a few route descriptions not yet done. All route descriptions in the book are written by a climber with experience on the route and subsequently edited by yours truly. Route descriptions are also peer-reviewed by at least two other climbers having done the route. We are looking for climbers who have experience on the following routes: Cooper Spur Newton Clark HW Chisolm Trail North Face Cleaver Eliot Headwall The book will be published in full color and should be a darn nice addition to the currently available literature. All contributing climbers will be published as such and will receive a whopping 2% of profits and a free copy. There are today in excess of 25 contributors. In some cases there are more than one climber working on the route, for example the Yocum Ridge route is being done by Fred Beckey, Jim Wickwire and Laura Freeman. Hopefully we can afford to throw a sweet publishing party as well, no promises. Finally, we are always happy to review any great climbing photos on Hood. I promise to credit all pics to the photographer. Thanks! Bill Mullee Portland, OR bmullee@gmail.com