calling all Hood north face winter climbers

[dperler]

February - March 2002

Tilly Jane ski trail friday after work. Friday night at Tilly jane campground (or shelter on lower cooper spur if possible).

north face up - cooper spur down (saturday or sunday). No big Woop. Shoot me a note if interested. Climbing experience a plus!

[someguy]

I was looking at Hood for this weekend. Any advice on the route conditions? Any thoughts on the new snow that could have hit the area?

[imorris]

The typical season on Hood is the first half of the year, but that doesn't stop a lot of people. There are only a few inches of new snow up there now, and glacier crossings would be a bit touchy in my opinion. The Eliot Headwall is sometimes climbed in October, and occasionally forms a long pitch of water ice at this time. Experience on, and hardware for rock and 70 degree snow/ice is recommended. You can descend Cathedral Ridge, or shuttle from Timberline.

-Iain

[Mic_Rocky]

What about routes up the South side or Cooper Spur? Anybody have any beta on route conditions for this weekend? I'm probably looking elsewhere this weekend, but I've been interested in Hood for awhile.

[Erwin]

If any of you want to go Friday or Saturday,let me know.

Jason

[dperler]

Was up above snowdome a couple weekends ago checking out the dream route (North Face) approach and taking some recon photos (the pics referenced from the yocum ridge posting blow my photos away!). From the side it looks quite doable (not like the ominous straight on view). The first rockband seems to be the steepest part. Come on snow level...get down!

Damn global warming!

[dperler]

also...tried to get up onto cathedral ridge for the fun of it...crevasses worked us towards the Coe and then we hit alot of black ice...didn't have the time or screws to continue...I've done sunshine in August, but it's much more technical and broken up in fall...with a much earlier start it would have been cool!

[haireball]

for what its worth, I've climbed the north face gully routes and the Elliott Headwall in late fall (October-November)and found them very good: very little snow, and what's left is hard ice. this late, temps are often low enough that the dogturdite is pretty well frozen together, so I actually preferred this time of year for those routes. too far from where I'm currently living now, though...

[texplorer]

Which of the North side Hood routes would you recommend Haireball? A friend and I have been looking at the elliot headwall but there seems to be two coulouirs that go up it. Just wondering what your thoughts were on the whole thing.

[rbw1966]

I was looking at the Eliot about a month or so ago and it didn't look very "in" then. Maybe I was hallucinating though. Its happened.

I'm in Portland and got a weekend free. Thinking of either going to Smith or on Hood if the weather is good. Anyone game?

Rob

[haireball]

Tex -

good question! without being able to look at current conditions on that face, I'd have to qualify my answer...I wouldn't recommend any line on the Elliot headwall unless its good and COLD. I was fool enough to climb this in July back in '90, and had both elements of a twin-rope system chopped in a single rockfall episode! (perhaps rock avalanche would be a better description)however, there are two gullies to the left of the headwall proper (towards Cooper Spur) - both are pleasant climbs less subject to rockfall than the headwall itself.