[TR] Mt. Hood south side - 3/16/2007

[Jamin]

Trip: Mt. Hood south side -

 

Date: 3/16/2007

 

Trip Report:

I and my friend Ryan went up the southside route of Hood. We got a late start and headed up to the summit at about 7am. Because we were both really affected by the altitude and were carrying about 40 pounds of gear apeice, it took us seven and a half hours to summit. We ditched most of our useless gear a few hundred feet before we reached the hogsback because we were both gasping for air. The climb was sheer misery. Every 50-200 feet we would have to stop and rest, and I felt like going to sleep for most of the climb.

 

The hogsback is in pretty decent shape. The bergshrund is only about 2 feet wide, and we just jumped across it. At the top of the hogsback, we traversed right, and then we went up a shute with an easy step of AI2. We did some boot axe belays on the way down, but it was not technically difficult. I fell once on the slopes below the step, but I was able to easily self-arrest after 30 feet.

 

Mount Hood was probably the toughest climb that I have done in the past year. Going from sea level to 11200 feet in about eight hours is not something that I would recommend. Give yourselves plenty of time to summit.

 

 

Approach Notes:

Not enough air up there

[Gary_Yngve]

I want to attempt Liberty Ridge this spring or summer

 

Please don't try Liberty Ridge until you get a lot more experience.

[Jamin]

Liberty ridge sounds like it would be fun to try. Maybe it would not be fun to climb, but it would be fun to try.

[corvallisclimb]

Trip: Mt. Hood south side -

 

Date: 3/16/2007

 

Trip Report:

I and my friend Ryan went up the southside route of Hood. We got a late start and headed up to the summit at about 7am. Because we were both really affected by the altitude and were carrying about 40 pounds of gear apeice, it took us seven and a half hours to summit. We ditched most of our useless gear a few hundred feet before we reached the hogsback because we were both gasping for air. The climb was sheer misery. Every 50-200 feet we would have to stop and rest, and I felt like going to sleep for most of the climb.

 

Approach Notes:

Not enough air up there

 

jesus christ and you want to try liberty ridge. dont kill your self

[sobo]

Trip: Mt. Hood south side -

 

Date: 3/16/2007

 

Trip Report:

...Every 50-200 feet we would have to stop and rest, and I felt like going to sleep for most of the climb.

 

Approach Notes:

Not enough air up there

jesus christ and you want to try liberty ridge. dont kill your self

Or anyone else who comes up to rescue your ass.

[Jamin]

Hey, I would like to see you guys do Hood with 40 pound packs in 7 1/2 hours with only 3 hours of sleep. I sure all of us have been sick from altitude once or twice. At least we didn't give up. In the end, all that matters is whether you had a decent time.

Edited March 18, 2007 by Jamin

[cwacked]

Hey, I would like to see you guys do Hood with 40 pound packs in 7 1/2 hours with only 3 hours of sleep.

 

I did Hood with 50 pound packs in 6 1/2 hours with only 2 hours of sleep. Ain't my dick big.

[Jamin]

All right, all right, but hey we did it, and we didn't have a bootpath either.

 

Just as an aside. I wasn't really affected by the altitude on Rainier, but Hood was hard for me. I am not exactly sure why I was affected more this time than I was on Rainier. Oh well, stuff happens. Shoot me a pm if you need more route info.

[Gary_Yngve]

The French have a scale for grading alpine routes. It goes something like:

F (easy)

PD (less difficult)

AD (more difficult)

D (difficult)

TD (very difficult)

ED (extremely difficult),

with +/- thrown in and numbers in the higher end.

 

South Side of Hood is probably an F. The DC on Rainier is probably a PD. Liberty Ridge is probably a D.

 

My guess is you've never climbed anything harder than PD, and Rainier might be your only PD?

 

Liberty Ridge is a serious route, requiring a carryover of overnight gear for all but the fittest and most competent parties. Much of the climb would count as "no-fall" terrain, and retreat is unappetizing at best.

 

Why don't you try other nordwands first before Lib Ridge?

Like Cooper Spur, Adams Glacier, NF Shuksan, NF Buckner, NF Maude, etc.? Or other routes on Rainier like Kautz or Fuhrer Finger that have less commitment.

 

[Jamin]

Well, that might be a good idea, but I would love to try Liberty Ridge even if I don't make it. However, I probably won't find a partner. If anybody wants to try doing those routes sometime, I would be all for it. I was interested in doing Bonanza this year if I have time.

 

[ryland_moore]

Jamin, just from your post of your hood climb, I know you have no experience. It seems like every time you post, there is something close to an epic with you. You fell below the steep step on a walk-up climb and it took your 30 ft. to arrest? You are lucky to have stopped the fall after that distance at all. If you cannot carry 40 lbs up one of the easiest hikes on the volcanoes, then how do you expect to carry more weight up a much more difficult and higher peak? You need more experience.....

[Gary_Yngve]

More Jamin from NWHikers:

 

Why weren't you able to self arrest before 30 feet? Snow different? Angle too steep?

 

I was trying to get some grip with my crampons before I actually went into the self-arrest position. It would be easy to stop yourself on any of those slopes.

[Winter]

WTF is this a friggin pile on? The guy does enough damage to his own rep and has been scolded by many a poster. Give it a rest already.

[ivan]

jamin=cindy69?

 

congrats on your climb dude - hood's a very cool mtn - i'd agree w/ the advice to do some more modest volcano slogs before aiming for lib ridge

[Raoul Duke]

Hey Jamin-

 

I think you summitted right after my dad and I on Friday- if so your TR left out the part about the free beer half way through the descent!

 

It looked to me like you two descended the chute pretty safely, good call with the short belayed sections.

 

These other guys are right though- south side of Hood is a nice, straightforward Grade II. I haven't done liberty ridge myself, but these commitment grades exist for a reason; why not get on a few grade III's before trying a IV, a few grade IV's before trying a V? Climbing Hood last week wasn't the hardest, give-it-everything-you've-got route I've ever done, but I still had fun, know what I mean?

 

At any rate keep climbing and keep safe!

[ivan]

Hey Jamin-

 

I think you summitted right after my dad and I on Friday- if so your TR left out the part about the free beer half way through the descent!

 

It looked to me like you two descended the chute pretty safely, good call with the short belayed sections.

 

These other guys are right though- south side of Hood is a nice, straightforward Grade II. I haven't done liberty ridge myself, but these commitment grades exist for a reason; why not get on a few grade III's before trying a IV, a few grade IV's before trying a V? Climbing Hood last week wasn't the hardest, give-it-everything-you've-got route I've ever done, but I still had fun, know what I mean?

 

At any rate keep climbing and keep safe!

you're not portuguese man!!!

[ryland_moore]

Yes, but Winter, obviously he still doesn't get it. His post from NWHikers even more clearly shows that if he does not even know how to self-arrest, then why should he try something like Lib. Ridge? Maybe we should try the nice-guy approach, since the scolding is not working. He is a danger to himself, which does not nearly concern me as much as he will be a danger to others if he does attempt something like Lib. Ridge.....I say keep scolding him until he gets it through his thick head that he needs to learn more from proper instructors, whether that be a friend/mentor or a guide outfit.

 

 

[ivan]

but if he had MLU, all bets were off!

 

and forget about the fawking tauntaun...

 

also, anyone ever attempting liberty ridge or any other classic route anywhere in the world should be expected to see the entire route clogged w/ folks like this

[Jamin]

Ryland, I didn't feel self-arresting was very necessary on that slope, especially since the guy I was with had his axe in a very solid self-belay stance. I am very confident with my self-arrest skills, and I have had plenty of practice in the past 3 years that I have been snow climbing. I admit that I have never climbed better than WI3 or about 5.6 on rock, but I have self-arrested on slopes that were steeper than those on Hood without a problem.

 

Raoul, I was glad to meet you guys up there. You were good company. I thought it was pretty nice that those people at the Silcox Hut invited us over to their party. It was nice talking with you on the descent, and thank you for the glissade tracks.

[Frikadeller]

and thank you for the glissade tracks.

 

Glissade tricks?!! Come on now! Everyone knows that you pack a splitboard or skis on a volcano slog.... Sheesh, Imagine that. Glissading...

 

Rookie!

 

I ride on a board, not my butt!!

[catbirdseat]

Hey, I would like to see you guys do Hood with 40 pound packs in 7 1/2 hours with only 3 hours of sleep. I sure all of us have been sick from altitude once or twice. At least we didn't give up. In the end, all that matters is whether you had a decent time.

In my experience you are better off driving up the night before and sleeping in your car. Those few hours help you acclimate a bit to the altitude. Going straight up there from sealevel is not good. Some people can do it with no problems.

[dmuja]

This is the funnist thread thingy Ive read since getting back online in the last half hour or so..HOOT!

[dmuja]

[qoute]I would like to see you guys do Hood with 40 pound packs in 7 1/2 hours with only 3 hours of sleep.

 

Jamin, a LOT of people do the south route (up AND down) with 20-30 lbs packs (why were ya haulin a "40" lb'er, xsept maybe for practice?) in less than 8 hours, coming from sea level, after work and a 200 mile drive, with no sleep what so ever. You'er not in good enough shape to move fast (ie "safe") enough for Lib Ridge yet man..JMO.

 

..Unless yo go solo..

 

You owe that much to any potential partner - BTW, who's own safety is dependent to some extent on your capabilities.

 

And da family don't need no more accidents to get in da news an make more stupid regs as well.

 

Just some thoughts.

[kurthicks]

I didn't feel self-arresting was very necessary on that slope

 

Apparently you were wrong, again. I don't know which is worse A) the safety/sanity of your climbing adventures or B)you deciding to post all of your near death experiences online so that when you get seriously hurt everyone will say "I told you so."

 

regardless, I will be heading down to Granite Point after school/work a lot now. let me know if you want to learn how to build anchors and place gear. No lead climbing, however.

[Jamin]

Sure, I will probably head down there next Saturday. Thank you for the invite.