OlegV Posted November 20, 2005 Posted November 20, 2005 Climb: Hood-North Face Date of Climb: 11/17/2005 Trip Report: Four of us, Chad, Rodney, Dave and I climbed the North Face of Hood this Thursday. We left the TJ trailhead at 1:30 am under warm, clear sky. It felt too warm and we all had concerns about the conditions on the face. At dawn we reach the base of the NF and stare in anticipation through the gullies. Neither the right nor the left gully look promising: plenty of thin ice and uncovered rock. After the brief moment of hesitation, we decide go for it and try the left gully. The entry doesn’t seem like an easy job: the base of the gully is badly crevassed and the ice is too thin to hold an ice screw. Fortunately, we spot a narrow strip of reasonably-looking water ice on the left of the main gully (most-left gully on the picture). The ice is somewhat soft and milky with the underlying layer of snow. We meticulously climb 2 pitches of WI3-4 before joining the main gully. From this point we enter the big stretch of the featureless snow slope of 50-60 degree. After climbing ~1500 vertical feet, our group splits in half, Rodney and Chad decide to explore the main gully and climb through the remaining ice, while Dave and I walk the ascent line to the left of the gully directly towards the North flank of the Cooper Spur rock. While Chad and Rodney encounter a lot of thin rotten ice, we go through some steep knee-deep snow and mixed terrains. At a time, it felt like the entire slope was about to collapse. At 3:15 pm, thoroughly exhausted and dehydrated we finally reach the human-free summit and become our descent of the south side. Interestingly enough, we had to set up a V-thread anchor at the Pearly Gates to get down through the steep vertical ice step. For some unknown reason, we were the only people on the mountain that day - what a beautiful sunset we saw! We’ll post more pictures soon! Gear Notes: 12 screws 2 ice tools 2 pickets (didn't use) Approach Notes: TJ trail Quote
ivan Posted November 20, 2005 Posted November 20, 2005 oleg, why not hit the return button after each one of dem pictures? my fav - insert vomiting emoticon for trashy thinness - like fawking the trailer queen winner of the methhead-world series Quote
Crevasse Posted November 20, 2005 Posted November 20, 2005 Nice job. That just sounds insane to me. Quote
Chad_A Posted November 20, 2005 Posted November 20, 2005 Thanks for posting that, Oleg. I had a good time. I never thought that it'd stay so chilly up there, all day long. That's the benefits of a north facing route, for ya. Here's a goofy shot of me, with the crew, getting ready to drop onto the Eliot. Here's the same shot of David and Oleg high on the finish to Cooper Spur; my favorite shot. Quote
whoohoonickieclimbs Posted November 20, 2005 Posted November 20, 2005 Can't tell your happy or anything in that shot-Like Christmas morning! Quote
John Frieh Posted November 20, 2005 Posted November 20, 2005 For some unknown reason, we were the only people on the mountain that day I can't speak for everyone but I would venture a guess it had something to do with the freezing level not dipping below 11k since Wed. night in combo with a temperature inversion. Good job... glad to see everyone enjoyed themselves. Quote
Chad_A Posted November 21, 2005 Posted November 21, 2005 Mike, well, 6 screws each, per rope team. Mostly shorties, and even a few of them got dinged bottoming out on rock... Quote
sweatinoutliquor Posted November 21, 2005 Posted November 21, 2005 Damn, sounds awesome guys! Great job Oleg and crew, as usual! Quote
iain Posted November 21, 2005 Posted November 21, 2005 I remember wishing I had a spectre or two on that climb a few years back in nov. That or about 80 feet of sling to lasso some boulders. Quote
OlegV Posted November 21, 2005 Author Posted November 21, 2005 Thank you all! Thanks Chad, Rodney and Dave for letting me lead this sick ice, ... and for kicking my butt on the approach Thanks for reposting the pictures: dam! each time I do the TR, I mess up one way or the other. O2 - defficiency in the brain Quote
layton Posted November 21, 2005 Posted November 21, 2005 Mike, well, 6 screws each, per rope team. Mostly shorties, and even a few of them got dinged bottoming out on rock... oh! haha. Nice work in these conditions Quote
kadyakerbob Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 nice job, was up there just after you guys, did the same route basically but finished straight on. definetely thin! Quote
gosolo Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 You dudes are north face hardmen, but that one dude in blue, is he really sans gloves? He Bad... Quote
ivan Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 You dudes are north face hardmen, but that one dude in blue, is he really sans gloves? He Bad... well, he russian, so that kinda puts him in a different category... no fair comparing luke to , ya know? Quote
gosolo Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 so are you both russian? oleg and ivan? My gf is from st petersburg.... gros vedanya. did I get that right? Quote
ivan Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 the russians are a savage race, commendable mostly for their drinking prowess and resultant stupor-induced capacity for subsisting on mere misery - my liver'd be in much better shape i'm sure were i more slavic in my descent - i have to get by on my thoroughly corrupted, junk-pool-genes and wistfully contemplate the mysteries of Being a Thoroughbred Hardman. Quote
goatboy Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 Lads, Nice freakin' work! Way to get after it in November. Those pictures of the steep ice pitches look spicy! Hard to protect, I reckon -- but how were the belay anchors??? Quote
Couloir Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 the russians are a savage race, commendable mostly for their drinking prowess and resultant stupor-induced capacity for subsisting on mere misery - my liver'd be in much better shape i'm sure were i more slavic in my descent - i have to get by on my thoroughly corrupted, junk-pool-genes and wistfully contemplate the mysteries of Being a Thoroughbred Hardman. Best prose I've read all week. Quote
Chad_A Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 I remember wishing I had a spectre or two on that climb a few years back in nov. That or about 80 feet of sling to lasso some boulders. Funny you should say...yesterday, while going through the bargain bin at US Outdoor Store, I found an old Spectre. Heavy and the older style, but at ninteen bucks, hell, I'll take it. Next time, it'll be useful on a route like this one, if I run into conditions like this again. Regarding the belays- usually we were able to get in a couple screws, and back them up with our tools. Not bomber, but not awful either. I never had one that I thought, "Christ, man, don't fall." Quote
Chad_A Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 I met Rodney for coffee this a.m.; he handed me off a CD of the pics, so here's some of them that summed it up. His camera did much better than mine; thanks to him for taking some shots for us. It's nice to see it from another perspective. Here's Oleg, across the 'schrund, working his way to the ice pitch that we did just a few hundred feet left of where the Left Couloir usually starts. Note to the viewer: it was much sketchier than it looked, since we didn't know if that huge block of snow would remain attached to the rock: A nice view of the 70 degree ice that he lead: Thin ice The belay gathering at a ledge: Me, finishing up the last of the ice leading: Dave, running away with it... Myself, with the Spur below. This is where we split a bit; Rod and I diverted right, back into the left couloir; Dave and Oleg stayed straight up to continue on the Left side of the NF/right side of Cooper Spur. Here's the Left Couloir. Dave and Oleg over a bit from us: Oh, by the way, anyone who says that Quarks don't plunge, here's proof that they do. Me near the Summit; Rod already on top. Oleg and David a minute from the summit. Rapping off the south side- yeah, that's right. I'll take a rap any day, over downclimbing a missing step of snow/ice. Dan Smith is much more a hardman than I And, the obligatory sunset shot on the way down. Thanks to Rodney S. for the photo documentation. Out of respect for him, I didn't post his summit self portrait, but I will if he asks me to Quote
OlegV Posted November 22, 2005 Author Posted November 22, 2005 the russians are a savage race, commendable mostly for their drinking prowess and resultant stupor-induced capacity for subsisting on mere misery - my liver'd be in much better shape i'm sure were i more slavic in my descent - i have to get by on my thoroughly corrupted, junk-pool-genes and wistfully contemplate the mysteries of Being a Thoroughbred Hardman. Best prose I've read all week. Dostoevski would be proud of you, Eric! Quote
OlegV Posted November 22, 2005 Author Posted November 22, 2005 Hey Rod, what a great job with pictures! Very very artistic. Thanks for posting them! Quote
DPS Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 We did not downclimb the main gulley, we downclimbed a chute to the skiers right of the main gulley. Much easier looking. Quote
Cobra_Commander Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 nice pics no reason not to spice it up with a little rope drag Quote
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