oleg Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Back in Russia there was general agreement: if you can take a ride (car, cat, heli) - take it, it's called approach. Climb begins at the point where you have to go by yourself. You can hike to the Everest basecamp or can take a heli flight - it does not make you less of a mountaneer provided you actually climb the mountain. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texplorer Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 I tend to have views of both sides on this issue. Â You could probably ride a snowmobile the entire way to the summit of hood, st helens, adams, raineer, etc. For some people just getting to the top and going through some sort of ordeal is what they seek in "climbing" a mountain. Â I would like to think that we "taditional climbers," as men and women of the NW, understand something that the touron climbers do not. That is that the achieving the summit is only the icing on a multi-tiered cake. Personnally I am not too big on icing anyway. Climbing in the tradition of the great climbers and adventurers of the past, is the spirit of pushing yourself to new boundaries on the mountain or rocks terms in a style that is sporting and challenging. Â For some that may be riding the cat. For those of you that diss these people I understand that you don't want your achievements to be lumped into the same category as the gumbies who ride the cat and make the summit. Even though the lower slopes are moderate and groomed they definetely take energy out of you and add to your time on the mountain. I personally walk cause I am a poor climber who can't afford the cat. If you really want to know I think most of the popular routes on hood are a joke. No, I haven't made the slog more than 10 times and haven't climbed the black spider yet. How hard can mountain be if I can come straight from the flatlands of texas and climb the mountain with rental gear and a few pages from the smoot book. I have now done six routes on the mountain and still I don't really know anything about mountaineering except don't go when the weather is bad, the route is not in season, or if a helicopter is coming to rescue idiots. Â Climb in whatever style you want but don't forget to put the * denoting that you were lazy and rode half way up the mountain. Ultimately you should climb for yourself or for the mags. If you are climbing for the mags be sure not to send them the pics of you riding next to a middle-aged fat women in the cat sipping a frappachino. Â Cheers wankers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 so start climbing Hood from the Ratskeller in Govy, pussy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj001f Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 iain said: so start climbing Hood from the Ratskeller in Govy, pussy. Â After closing, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texplorer Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Why not climb from sea level. That was my point. Some people make fun of Cat riders while they still drive up to timberline. I don't admit to being holier than anyone. If you really get down to it the most sporting way to climb a mountain is from sea level, with no gear except what you can find in nature like a stick or something. Oh, and you must at least start the climb butt-naked and maybe kill some raccoons and oppossums to make yourself a furr coat or nab some ducks to make your own down jacket. Now that would be in the finest style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Damn right, only way to fly. Seriously, I'm not sure what Tex is saying, but I don't think anyone's saying Hood is some hardcore sickfest (though you can find some spice if you want it). However it IS a superb alpine classroom where you can climb progressively harder and more committing climbs until you have some experience, with limited approach times and relatively easy bailouts. Â It's all about conditions too. Yocum Ridge has been called a walk in the park on good days, a terrifying nightmare on bad ones. Then there are the poor fools who think the fall is a good time for that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btowle Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Lets just admit that in nice conditions, the South Side Route is really just a hike. If you want to say you did the South Side Route and be honest, then you should really do the whole hike or say "from the top of the Palmer". Just like any other hike from the trailhead. Â For other routes, take the cat and don't mention it. You are not there for the hike anyway. Â The other amusing thing that I noticed last friday was the number of packs strewn along the trail from Crater Rock to the Hogsback by people who apparently got tired of dealing with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gslater Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 I know lots of people like to drop off their packs once they rope up on the Hogsback, but I hadn't heard of people dropping stuff off before they even got THAT far. I think I'd be too worried about somebody skiing into my stuff if I left it down there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troy_moss Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 whats up w/all the climbers roped but proless in the chute and on the hogsback ? One fatal " flossing " has already occured.Say NO to needless roping ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texplorer Posted June 8, 2003 Share Posted June 8, 2003 Amen Mossman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sphinx Posted June 8, 2003 Share Posted June 8, 2003 I don't get why you'd rope up there anyways. Do the old chute, and there aren't any schrunds to fall into, so no need for a rope. Hood can be sketchy due to the gumby factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boonecounty Posted June 8, 2003 Share Posted June 8, 2003 As for all this talk on hood, just some observations from a flatlander. Short rope the hogsback if you have a very experienced partner. Don't bother longroping unless you are putting in pickets, and real pickets not stakes dropped into slush. If you don't have to hammer hard to get it in dig a t-slot as otherwise it is a joke. And as for the cat it is super sweet. I really don't miss slogging a groomed trail through a ski area. Plus you can get a few more hours of sleep. and as for elitist bullshit. If you are such a hardman go solo Liberty ridge in under 24 hours carrying your ski and ski down the emmons, like a friend of mine did and he doesn't bother to post here. that is 24 hours from white river back to white river. Â last note, has anyone seen richard pumpington on hood? Â Yeah Billy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sphinx Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 I agree with the roping-up issue. As for the snowcat, would you say you had climbed hood if you took the snowcat up to the Hogsback? I wouldn't. Since the commonly recognised starting point for the south side of hood is the parking lot, don't say you climbed the mountain unless you climbed it from the parking lot. I don't care if you take a ride up in a snowcat, yeah, it'll be more fun, but then don't say you climbed Hood. It's the same as redpointing a sport route. You don't say you climbed it if you pulled on draws. Period. Sure, you can say that it doesn't matter, and unless you hike up for sea level you haven't climbed shit, but that's pointless. We all cheat at some level. Just say what you did. I don't see you point about hardmen soloing LR. How is this relevant to the South Slog on Hood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 NOW this is turning into some quality cc.com material  boonecounty hope you got out while the gettin's were good (cold, that is) early last week.  Tagged some cc.com-r's truck at the Pole Creek TH this weekend, put a big ol' SNAFFLEHOUND across the lift gate in the dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texplorer Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 boonecounty said: If you are such a hardman go solo Liberty ridge in under 24 hours carrying your ski and ski down the emmons, Â Â A real hardman wouldn't need the skis! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 texplorer said: A real hardman wouldn't need the skis! Yeah and he could carry 2x the skis' weight equivalent in water for all the unnecessary extra time he spends dinking around on the emmons w/o skis  BTW were any of you the yahoos slacklining monkeyface with the stereo cranked on Sunday? Stopped by there on the way back from the Sisters. No one in the whole park it seemed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klar404 Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Slackliners freak me out check this shot crazy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Got up to the base of Early Morning but there was too much junk coming down it for me to feel comfortable climbing that alone. I went back to the last patch of rock and leaned up against a boulder and slept until 7:00am, woken up by a big avalanche right down the couloir . Made backing off feel a little less painful. Pretty much had the entire NE basin of North Sister to myself. I'll be back. Hope your traverse worked out to be fun. I hate walking out in defeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texplorer Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 twight says,"water is life." I sometimes think Ian has the right idea though - defeat is life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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