To rope or not to rope, that is the question!

[godskid5]

How many people actually rope up to climb the ss of mt hood?

Why or Why not?

Seems to me that unless the pearly gates are steap and ice, you would not need to/want to rope up except for possibly that portion. Also, imho the accident a few years back wouldn't have been as bad had they not all been on ropes. If your on ice, and not adding pro, seems like a rope could be a bad idea.

Whats y'alls opionion on this?

 

[Adam13]

I would not advise roping up on ice when not placing pro. Seems to do nothing but raise the likelyhood that one person falling will rip the whole team off the mountain.

[ashw_justin]

Haven't there been at least two high-profile accidents in the Pearly Gates vicinity in the recent past where inadequately protected ropes seriously aggravated the situation? Rope on steep terrain is nearly pointless in terms of physical safety without at least one bomber piece of pro. Rope as I see it typically employed is more of a danger to team members and anyone else in the fall line, than any kind of reasonable protection (which would consist of a well-trained team carrying and using multiple pieces of protection appropriately--which most people who climb Hood will probably not take the time to do, even if they are capable).

[godskid5]

thats been my view. if your not going to protect it, don't use a rope. unless of course you are crossing a glacier, then the rope is there to protect against falling into a crevasse and dissapearing.

i ask because you see pics quite often with people roping up to cross the hogsback, and climb the pearly gates. but you very rarely see people actually placing any pro while climbing the gates with ropes.

[dougd]

Good points about use of pro and ropes but:

 

Give me a competent rope mate or two, in good climbing shape and I'll stay roped on the ss route up and down from the hogsback to summit. If conditions warrant pro or not, I think chances are better of surviving a mishap with a competent roped party. That said, competency is in short supply on hood some days...

 

Always, proper assessment of conditions, BTW that includes other people in your area, especially on hoods ss route, and good judgment on the mountain will serve you well.

 

Good luck

 

d

[godskid5]

BTW that includes other people in your area, especially on hoods ss route,

Good luck

 

d

 

yep, quite a few people involved in the incident on hood a few years back that had nothing to do with the initial fall, except they were on the same mountain.

You just can't always tell who the incompetent ones are.

[Alpinfox]

To rope or not to rope, that is the question!

 

To slog, or not to slog: that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler to ascend the south side

and suffer the slings and pickets of outrageous crowds,

Or to take tools against the north face,

And by climbing grade III avoid them?

[Dechristo]

Has no one learned the lessons taught in Vertical Limit?

[spikehay]

Yeah, I carry dynamite now instead of liquid nitroglycerin in my crevasse rescue kit.

[godskid5]

great movie! thats where i learned how to climb! you should see me leap over an abyss with my ice tools, only missed the landing once.