[TR] Hood- South Side variation 11/20/2005

[ckouba]

Climb: Hood-South Side variation

 

Date of Climb: 11/20/2005

 

Trip Report:

I can't believe I am writing this but I had a great time on Hood's South Side this weekend.

 

Left the lot @0530 after much debate about skinning up or hiking. In the end, the boards stayed in the car and we hoofed it up.

 

Styrofoam snow enabled great hiking and cramponing and Jamie and I made great time to the flat just below Crater Rock. It was his first time going for the top but he'd done bit of climbing before and I was simply along as tour guide. Just before the steepening section below and east of Crater Rock I had the brilliant idea that maybe we should try something a little more interesting to gain the summit.

 

At this point it was only around 0800 and the sun hadn't yet hit the steep slope on the West Crater Rim Headwall (name I made up but seems accurate). I threw the idea out of traversing over to the west side of CR, heading up the fun pitch and then a rising traverse up to the old chute to the summit ridge. We were both a little worried about the steepness and potential for warming with the sun and sliding but we'd evaluate that once we had to commit. He was game and off we went.

 

And it was great! Rock solid snow, steep enough to be interesting, not enough to be in fear of death, sustained enough to make us work and BEAUTIFUL weather considering it's halfway through November. We gained the shoulder by the top of ridge and worked our way up the old chute dodging only minor snow cookies and small rocks. GOOD TIMES!!

 

Summit ridge was fine but the summit strangely unoccupied (arrived at 1000). I had expected to see a large number of people up there but alas, we were the only two. Oh well, snack time and down we go...

 

And then we found out why no one else was up there. There is an icy step which we could only guess the size when looking down from the top. There was one rope team which had just descended it but since we only had single alpine axes and no rope, we climbed back up to the ridge, traversed and descended back to Hogsback via the old chute.

 

Off with the crampons and an hour and a half later we were back at the car. I still can't believe how much I enjoyed a climb of the south side of Hood. The variation was exactly what I needed.

 

Gear Notes:

crampons, alpine axe

 

Approach Notes:

the usual

[iain]

the boards stayed in the car

 

oh the humanity

[ckouba]

Normally I agree.

 

In my defense, I had to be back in town early in the afternoon and had no time to wait for the snow to soften. We passed a half dozen people hanging at Hogsback waiting for things to bake. We probably would have ditched ours ~9k on the way up anyway and the snow above that was inconsistent and textured.

 

I had vowed earlier that I wouldn't ever go up that thing again without skis, but it was actually the right thing to do this time.