hefeweizen Posted July 2, 2007 Posted July 2, 2007 (edited) Trip: Mt. Hood - Sunshine Route Climb and Ski Date: 7/1/2007 Trip Report: When the stars appeared to be aligning for good weather this weekend (maybe it was the blue moon?) I planned to head to the Hood and finish what I started a few years ago on the Sunshine Route. This being my first spring back in the PNW since that year, I had remembered it being a beautiful route that would eventually require a return visit I picked up Roger in P'Town Saturday afternoon and we drove up to Cloud Cap. Our plan was to walk in for an hour and get a nice sunset bivy out of the deal as well. Roger hiking in (he forgot his tennis shoes) We watched clouds roll through and caught a few Nordward-style views: After a tasty Guinness and some chili, we settled in to watch the light show. After a spectacular sunset that went on till like 10:30, I dozed off staring at the lights of the Hood River Metropolis (they have a Pizzacato now). We woke at 4:20 (heh heh) to another amazing light show: For about 30 seconds the whole face turned pink: I drank my sissy odwalla and downed some coffee, then figured maybe we should get something done. We cramponed up the Snow Dome and hit the top of it at about 7:30. Roger wasn't feeling well, so he opted to make that his high point. I recalled something about the first ascent of this route being solo in 1897 (one of the Langille bros.) so I thought in the interest of keeping with the original style I'd better continue on. Besides, things were looking prime to be great skiing conditions. Immediately after leaving Roger I went to the rock step (the lowest, closest rock ridge in the photo below) to gain the upper part of the route. It turned out to be gradually steepening mud until I was 4th classing some mud with my skis sticking over my head knocking rocks down on me. I threw one of my poles up above me and it fell down the other side into the 'schrund. Oh well, I'll pick it up on the way down. That section was not too fun. From there I traversed west under Horseshoe Rock, crossed a minor crevasse, and gained the Cathedral Ridge. At that point I realized how bad the wind had been blowing on the other side. The whole South Side was blanketed in orographic clouds. I happened to run into a guy who had just soloed the Sandy Headwall. He looked happy to be alive and said something about selling all his gear when he got back to town. I told him to give himself a week. I dropped the skis behind a rock as the skiing on the ridge looked shitty and I was afraid I'd get blown off with those sails on my back. I went up to the summit and back in about an hour. Note the horizontal pack straps. I jammed back down the ridge and clicked in at about 10,700. I made a few test turns on the ridge and then slid over onto the face above the crevasse crossing. Brilliant freaking cream!! I shimmied back across the crevasse and then traversed over to the slope next to the rock step. It skied as good as it looks: That put me back on top of the Snow Dome. I climbed up and fished my other pole out of the 'schrund. Then made happy arcing corn turns thru the smoothest butta I've had this spring. On my way down I turned and looked and saw a party that had climbed the Cooper Spur skiing the skier's right side of Horseshoe, which ended in a 'schrund. They made their way across it. When I asked them in the parking lot later they said it went but "Don't fall." I had an uneventful but comfortable walk out from our bivy in my tennis shoes. Another cold Guinness waiting in the car, some espresso in Hood River, and I drove all the way back to Seattle with a perma grin on my face. Skied green, climbed red. Gear Notes: Guinness, Starbucks double shots. Approach Notes: Tennis shoes. Edited July 2, 2007 by hefeweizen Quote
stoudema Posted July 2, 2007 Posted July 2, 2007 Nice report! Sounds like fun. We did the south side route, but stopped at the bergshrund on the Hogsback. I posted on TAY, which is where I saw your report. We ran into the guy who did the Sandy Headwall. It sounded pretty rough - I think he was doing better there though (he may keep his gear). We were in the middle of those origraphic clouds you mentioned (actually we waited just below them for about an hour). We didn't tag the summit because the upper 500 feet were nice and icy and not wanting to firm up. The corn down lower was sweet! Your route looks great, a must do. Did snowdome last year, and the upper pitches on the sunshine look better this year. Quote
RogerJ Posted July 2, 2007 Posted July 2, 2007 The day was great! Cross link to my TAY report I had a perma-grin on my face too despite the invasion of the intestinal nasties. Dan, I was glad you carried on as it was just about as good as you could ask for climbing and skiing. A couple of Snowdome laps on great corn made up for not continuing. -r Gear notes! Hiking moraine scree in AT boots bites. Lesson learned. Quote
Karl_S Posted July 3, 2007 Posted July 3, 2007 Great trip and report. Were any crevasses on the dome opening or sagging at all? How firm was the snow on the headwall before you gained the ridge? Would it hold an ice axe in arrest? Quote
RogerJ Posted July 3, 2007 Posted July 3, 2007 Were any crevasses on the dome opening or sagging at all? There was one crevasse opening up around 9.2K It had a few holes forming, and I noticed someone had punched through on foot. It's all pretty obvious and easy to deal with at this point. -r Quote
hefeweizen Posted July 3, 2007 Author Posted July 3, 2007 Great trip and report. Were any crevasses on the dome opening or sagging at all? How firm was the snow on the headwall before you gained the ridge? Would it hold an ice axe in arrest? I hit it with fortuanate timing. It was just soft enough to take front points and the first two inches of your boot, but firm enough that as long as you weren't sailing headfirst and belly up I'm sure you could arrest. Quote
letsroll Posted July 3, 2007 Posted July 3, 2007 great trip report. MMM.. some thing to do tomorrow May actually take the skis. Quote
Rodney_Sofich Posted July 3, 2007 Posted July 3, 2007 I'm sure all those nice kick steps made it a lot easier. Quote
hefeweizen Posted July 3, 2007 Author Posted July 3, 2007 I'm sure all those nice kick steps made it a lot easier. Yeah, didn't you read where I said I hit it with "fortuanate timing"? Quote
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