Maine-iac Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Hey, I am planning on getting out on the north face of Hood this coming weekend, sunshine route. And i am looking for a little advice, or for someone to confirm my thoughts...(but without sarcasm, my life depends on it guys...). I am planning on skinning as far as i can before switching out to crampons, so my question is, do you think i will be able to make that transition smoothly, i.e. i wont be post-holing with my crampons. Or do you think there will be deep snow all the way up to the summit. Any info would be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Frieh Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Use one of the many avy pits you will be digging to access the avy conditions as you ascend to change from skis to pons. The packed snow in the bottom of the pit should allow you to change without sinking in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frikadeller Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Use one of the many avy pits you will be digging to access the avy conditions as you ascend to change from skis to pons. The packed snow in the bottom of the pit should allow you to change without sinking in. Â Â Doh..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 you can expect wind-blasted ridge-walking on the last few hundred feet to the summit no matter how deep the snow is down on the elliot - i wouldn't be suprised if it's very deep down there - be safe w/ the avi - there's a lot of slope w/ a lot of snow on it there - a truly beautiful place to be this time of year though - enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maine-iac Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Thank you ivan, that is the type of info that i was looking for. Ill have either a TR or some pics posted come tuesday or wednesday next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maine-iac Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Well as i am sure you all know, if you looked at the weather reports. It was a fine day up there...... about 150 yards of visibility on sunday, and constant snow fall. Decided it wasnt worth trying to hunker down on sunday night, so we came home. It sounded like there were some high winds there today, Timberline lifts were closed for winds. Guess i will just have to get back up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 hood looked fantastically mean today from pdx - the whole moutain was fuzzy from all the wind raging around it - woulda loved to have been at the summit in a very big puffy jacket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsroll Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I was going to climb today. Sat in my car in the parking lot at Timberline for a few minutes. My whole car was moving up and down as the wind tried to pick up the rear of my car, as if someone was jumping up and down on the rear bumber. Crazy. The top of Tom, dick and Harry was not much better. Nearly blown over twice even while braced for the gust. Later in the week looks better. Wed??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 i remember doing hood last winter in almost identical conditions - i wore my 8000 meter down jacket all the way from car to summit - too wind to stop the whole day, but just went slow and dug it - the top of the queens chair was a fucking vortex to purgatory - what a day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maine-iac Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 If anybody in the Eugene area wants to make a run at Hood, or any peaks for that matter, i would love a PM. Even though i was in the wilderness humping my pack a little more than 24 hours ago, i am already bored with city life. I gotta get back out there... Also, again in the Eugene area, if anybody wants a training partner for these rainy months i am down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsroll Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Damn Ivan. Thank god I don't have the clothing for that cold other wise I might have gone for it. For some reason I need a suffer fest to remind myself why not to climb in those conditions, or to do super long approaches and climb car to car in one day. Must just have short term memory I guess  Maine-iac you a boot packer or have you seen the light of AT gear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotly Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Friends went Saturday. They said it was hard-packed. They turned around short of the kitchen due to high wind and poor visibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maine-iac Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Well....since i am a poor college student, i am a combination of both. I have an AT set up with old alpine boots, which work as long as i don't blister. But when i don't take the skis along, i still have to use the alpine boots, because i only have those and a pair of hiking boots (3 season boots). I am also in the situation where i have to rent a sleeping bag whenever i want to go out, which blows (alot of the time i can borrow one for free). So that puts me in a situation where i have to choose if i want to buy a nice pair of winter climbing boots, or a sleeping bag.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsroll Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 ALpine ski boots...WOW good job on making the most of what you have :tup: Â That is sweet that you are climbing in college. I did a handfull of rock climbing days in college,then my belay partner left and I stopped. Wish I had taken more interest in climbing back then. I would be so much better at rock and steep alpine. Now I can't seem to get enough of it. Just need to win the lottery so I can basically live up there. Â Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfs1978 Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Planning either Leuthold or RGH tonight dependng on how things look when we get there... Â NWAC sounds like things s/b mellow. Am expecting everything to be pretty stable after last bout of sunshine and dry...but never been on West side. Possible windslab build-up? Any comments on recent conditions on routes? Â Thanks any... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra_Commander Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Wx is supposed to go to shit. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfs1978 Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Noticed the outlook getting worse as today moved on...but the system still looks to be 24 hours out. 6, 12, 18, and 24 hr outlooks still had the precip staying in southern oregon...unless I'm missing something. Enlighten and/or educate me? Â cheers js Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Forecast I just saw on the tube said weather will be turning south late tonight. Why risk it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra_Commander Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Sorry, didn't want to be a naysayer but the forecast I was looking at is here: NWS - Mt. Hood  Just something to be watchful of, climbing those gully routes with incoming weather in winter. The retreat traverse to Illumination Saddle from west routes in a whiteout requires concentration and patience, and "breezy" likely means you are crawling on your knees at the queens chair, making the ridge traverse to the south side routes quite interesting (rope will be bowing over the n. side if you use one).  But they have been wrong with those forecasts before.... just saying more than one party has been pounded with this wx setup and there is no letup in sight later in the week on long-range. Hope this info helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfs1978 Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 (edited) No worries. I'm not one to turn down a well-intentioned word of caution or beta. Appreciate the concern. Â The NWS has precip arriving a bit earlier than NCAR and local tv (not sure what rbw is referring to). We'll keep our eyes out and can always either bail to WCR/SS (pretty familiar) or, of course, the parking lot if we aren't feeling it at illum saddle. Â am fairly careful - thus the request for thoughts here (the forum where I'm guaranteed to get the beat-down if I ask or do something idiotic ). Â thanks. Â THE INITIAL PRECIPITATION ON SATURDAY MORNING COULD BE A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN...SNOW OR RAIN IN THE INTERIOR LOWLANDS WEST OF THE CASCADES DUE TO TRAPPED COLD AIR AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF FROZEN GROUND. HOWEVER THIS PRECIPITATION WILL BE RATHER SPOTTY AND QUITE LIGHT. THE PRECIPITATION WILL TURN TO RAIN AT LOWER ELEVATIONS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A SOUTH WIND DEVELOPS AHEAD OF THE SECOND SYSTEM. Edited January 26, 2008 by jfs1978 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbob Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 SS sucked today, wouldn't have gone but for the need. Moderate wind, typical whiteout above 8K, ubiquitous ice pellets, and damn is that snow level almost above the Silcox?. Postholing in snowshoes up Palmer since the cat hasn't been there since when. Way too slabby up there (duh). Maybe next week, more likely not given the current conditions. Heard this winter is looking like record snowfall at Rainier, what about Hood ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsroll Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 your crazy. You went up in that. "Needed Professional Help" ain't that the truth Good-on-ya for going. We will see how this week works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Poulton Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Random question...My old father told me once that a group camp on the summit of Hood...maybe in the 60's I think...when they woke up. The Oregonian was at there tent door??? umm.. what do you think? Â Winter can be rough...and...did they do the winter climb? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splattski Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 My old man tells the same story- Dad worked for Darr in the 1940s-50s and was on the ski patrol. As I recall, they also got a quart of milk. People have been married on the summit. Someone rode a bicycle there. And there used to be a lookout, of which you can still see remnants when the snow is low.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 And a tram used to run to the top with old city buses as gondolas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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