snowspark6

Where does everybody get the best weather forecast for Hood? What kind of forecast do I need to see tothink that my Hood ascent is safe? How is visibility usually on a day when the forecast is for a little snow? Looks like the wind is low and conditions might be decent in a couple days??? What do you folks think?

Sweet shot bro, thanks for sharing! I have all my climbing stuff here, but not my snowboard or my touring setup. I was thinking about just renting gear. Sucks, cuz my ride is up in Vancouver, bc, but I'm willing to pay a little bit for this epic adventure. But can I reach the hogsback without skinning or snowshoeing? Think it will be bootpackable above the resort slopes? last question, where do people ski down to get the most pow turns away from the resort groomers. I'm new to the mtn so I wanna stay in pretty easy to navigate avvy terrain. I'm just stoked to link up a climb/descent if the weather gives us a break! What's the drop in like off the ridge? What aspect/angle is the slope? Cornices above, or is it safe from ice bombs? Thanks for ur posting, all these bits of info have helped a lot! cheers

Hey Phuzzy, Great to see that someone else is interested in makin a push if the weather allows. Sounds like you might be game to team up if things go right? I've only been looking at south routes so far, but I'm not stuck on anything, I just wanted to select a route with lots of easy beta as I figured I'd be going solo. Is it safe to post personal email addy here and not get spammed with crap? Maybe we can work out details without cluttering the board... if you want.

Wow, those photos and labeled features really bring the route segments into focus. thank you. So, is the Hogsback a more direct and technical line over the Mazama? I figured that the Hogs would be the easiest/simplest since it receives the most traffic... Hmmm... Looks like the Old route is a little longer but more mellow? Is there an easy summit ridge to traverse over to the true summit from the top of Old chute? One aspect of the route I haven't seen yet is the final summit segment. How steep is it? Is it any easier or harder depending on which chute you pop out of? I'm starting to get a pretty good picture for what the ascent looks like. Seems like either route is very doable, it's a matter of stability right now. If the weather and snow stabilizes I'm psyched to make a push! I hope the avvy conditions will allow it... gulp... cheers ps. anyone want to come???

Wow, a first reply already, awesome. Yes, I've gotten busy investigating the classic hogsback southside route as it seems to be the easiest for an out of towner to research and get comfortable with. What I'm trying to figure out is what to anticipate for the steeper crampon sections, how hard the ice will be, are there any deviations to the normal hogsback ridge up to the gates due to ridge shifting and what the snowpack has been like. I read somewhere that the right hand gully is going better at the gates. How long are these gullies and what angle are the pitches reaching this year? Is there anywhere to see a climber's topo from this season? I'd love to know if people have been on the route lately and I'll try to keep up with snow/weather for the next while to evaluate stability. I'd also like to know where there are glaciated/crevassed sections of travel and where people have descended safely in the past to lay some nice tracks. Is there any one thread or set of photos to see all the parts of the route, or mtn labeled so I can memorize the features? What constitutes the palmer snowfield and what is the zigzag canyon? I know that the palmer's lift leads up towards crater rock, then hogsback traverses right and leads to the gates, but I couldn't identify the gates very well yet in a photo. This adventure is still firmly in the planning and research stage. Thanks for any and all input folks! cheers

Hey all, This is my first posting, thanks to everyone who has put work into making this helpful site rock for all to benefit from! Looking for any and all pertinent info regarding a Hood Attempt this month. I'm visiting Seaside Oregon and have my climbing kit with me, looking for route information, photos to get familiar and a partner if possible. This climb is within my ability range, but I'm not familiar with the area. Currently I'm solo and looking at Hood for a rad climb/ride and hope I can put it together with some research and your help over the next 2 weeks. Thanks for your replies! will