[TR] Tour de Hood- Sandy Glacier Headwall to Cooper Spur Ski Descent 5/10/2006

[Lix]

Climb: Tour de Hood-Sandy Glacier Headwall to Cooper Spur Ski Descent

 

Date of Climb: 5/10/2006

 

Trip Report:

Been thinking about linking this one up after climbing the Leuthold a few weekends ago and skiing the West Crater.

 

T-Line departure at 5:25 with zero wind at the parking lot - good sign.

 

Quick skin up to Illuination Saddle where skins were ripped, helmet donned, and icy traverse made (with small bergshrund air to boot) to gain the Sandy via the Reid and Yocum Ridge. This was probably the most heads up part of today's lap and made me wish my Whippet didn't get stolen from my garage in SLC this winter. Climbing with skis on pack by 7:45ish.

 

Somewhat variable conditions on the Sandy made for fairly quick climbing with some exceptions. New snow or wind or or the combination of the two had filled in much of the old runnels with calf deep snow, some of which had crusted over. Also ran a somewhat erratic course to get as much coverage from the small rock bands that dot the Sandy. Lots of ice chunks and a few rocks, mostly off the Cathedral Ridge side. I was kind of surprised by this as I expected to see more shit come off the Yocum since it was getting a little sun. Headwall top-out at 9:15 or so and summit around 10:00

 

Well, time to go down. But it was way to early to ski the rime chunks of the West Crater and the Cooper didn't seem ridiculously warm yet. A few turns to that rocky point where you can look down the east and north sides of the spur yielded a good look at a fine line that was way less steep and exposed than I had expected Ski cuts got the surface mush to slide a bit and some fine corn was skied. Did a big traverse across the Newton-Clark, through the White River drainage, and down some sick groomer corn to T-Line. Driving out of there by 11:00. Score another for skiing down after climbing up.

 

With temps like todays and marginal, high cloud cover (which felt like it was keeping the snow just a little cooler than it would've been with totally clear skies), the Cooper would have been just right at about 9:00 - i.e. no ski cuts required.

 

Sorry no pics - no camera.

 

Final note: if this itinerary sounds like your idea of a good time, give me a holler. I don't need to do this stuff by myself all the time.

[DirtyHarry]

Right on man. Sounds rad!

[valleydude]

Sweet route dude! Would love to give it a run sometime.

[Chriznitch]

a nice leisurely solo venture

[rbw1966]

Car to car in 5 hours, 35 minutes?

[jaee]

Which part of "left at 5:25, driving away at 11:00" was unclear?

 

Time

5:25 Begin, 0:00 elapsed

7:45 Base of SGHW, 2:20

9:15 Top of SGHW, 3:50

10:00 Summit, 4:35

11:00 Done, 5:35

 

Totally amazing from my perspective. Great effort. Skis really make a huge difference sometimes.

Edited May 11, 2006 by jaee

[ivan]

g'damn - makes me wanna actually learn how to fawk'n ski! a complete hood tour and still plenty o'time int he day left for a proper hate-fuck at home...

[skykilo]

Right on, that's a classic. I'll let you know if I get wood for Hood or something else down that way...

[DirtyHarry]

a proper hate-fuck at home...

 

you're too much, dude

[Norman_Clyde]

Sounds irresistible. Might become my Plan A for next week.

[rbw1966]

Which part of "left at 5:25, driving away at 11:00" was unclear?

 

None of it was. Hence my incredulousness.

 

Skis really make a huge difference sometimes.

 

Gee, ya think?

[ivan]

perhaps rob's crime is the total lack of the appropriate emoticons n' exclamation marks interspersed w/ the interogative?!?

 

that said, if dude's name turns out to be dan, or if the entire tour included a canine, i wanna be first in line to call bullshit

[skykilo]

Whatever, skiers rule the planet. Way to represent, Lix!

[gapertimmy]

looks like fido has some competition. nice trip lee.

[billcoe]

plenty o'time int he day left for a proper hate-fuck at home...

 

 

 

Sounds irresistible. Might become my Plan A for next week.

 

 

Dude, don't go poaching Ivan's lines.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

 

Very fast for spring/calf deep snow, I got winded just reading the TR.

[jaee]

Which part of "left at 5:25, driving away at 11:00" was unclear?

 

None of it was. Hence my incredulousness.

 

Skis really make a huge difference sometimes.

 

Gee, ya think?

 

Just a little devil's advocate/trollin hybrid. Good to see it got a nibble.

[Pilchuck71]

g'damn - makes me wanna actually learn how to fawk'n ski! a complete hood tour and still plenty o'time int he day left for a proper hate-fuck at home...

Ivan - you are a wordsmith if nothing else.

[ivan]

plenty more where that came from!

 

in fairness though, gotta give credit for "hate-fuck" to my boy joshk, who likes to discuss his cycle for dealign w/ his endless string of pent-house 2-toof bitches while sharing sensuious bivy's w/ yers'truly, the artist-as-a-young-man

[Pilchuck71]

I am guessing here but is JK an ex military?

My good friend and life coach Rheindeer Baconburger is ex Army and I am sure I have heard him use the phrase.

It had been a long time so I thank you for the flashback..

Given what I see in your sense of humor, penchant for suffering and libations, if you are up the WA and want to get some hot, smoky granite in the Darrington area this year, let me know.

I think you may find our merry band of miscreants a fun experience.

Cheers

[ivan]

dude! - you no know the yuppie-pond scum that is my boy joshk, my of-so-frequent suffer-partner of half these holy-shit-what-are-these-goddamn-tr's-about effluevents? the teenage microsoft expereince seemed to age him far beyond his years, sadly, but i think he's gotten over it mostly by veritably drowning himself in fremont va-jay-jay

 

been wanting to sample the darrington slab-scene for some time - gotta take you up on taht offer this summer - unfortunately i only smoke when i'm awake though, so i may have to work on that part of my game 'tween now and then