hood climb

[ivan]

moving to portland from richmond, va (how the hell did i ever get into this hobby, eh?) and will be in the neighborhood and looking to climb hood the last weekend of march...i've already done the standard route and the cooper spur...was looking for something a little more interesting...anybody interested? email at ivanthedark@hotmail.com

[b-rock]

I will only climb Hood via the Hogsback or Leuthold Couloir. All the other routes are too hard to warrant discussion here.

[imorris]

Damn straight! :

(image blatently ripped-off of summitpost.com...I didn't take it)

[ivan]

the picture reminds me far more of mt. adams standard route that i saw this summer...the two times i was on the hogsback it was either too early or too shitty to see so many jackasses (but i did see literally a 7 year old girl lashed to a rope being dragged along by a party of 5 while i was descending the second time, that and another interesting character skiing right up to the edge of the large smoking fumarole right behind crater rock)...i infinitely preferred the cooper spur, which has that neat simplicity of just going right the hell up the side of the mountain to the summit (didn't see a soul on that climb)

so what's the Leuthold like? haven't been on that side of the mountain but the picture of yokum's ridge in CTCV makes the prospective scenery seem tight...

[imorris]

There are a number of posts about Leuthold C. here (so I'm at risk of being harrassed for talking about it ) but it is quite different than C. Spur. It is less exposed, following a gully which rains crap down on you all day, especially if someone is above. Angle is about 45 degrees, less than the top of c. spur but enough to keep it interesting. Some knowledge of crevasse rescue is warranted on the Reid G., though the danger is minimal, and many solo the route w/o problems. The summit traverse is exposed but very easy. As always, avoid when warm or av. conds high.

[goatboy]

Hey Ivan,

I am also originally from Richmond, now living in Washington State (since 93, actually). And I'm moving to Portland in a few months.

Curious what brings you out here, other than good judgment?

[Alpine_Tom]

You might look at the Wyeast route. Basically it wraps around the the right behind the Steele cliffs (see Oregon High.) It has the advantage of a great deal less traffic, and aside from one short fairly steep bit (which was thigh-deep powder when I did it, and really held my attention!) it's not particularly difficult or dangerous.

[ivan]

realized last august after spending almost 2 months climbing out west, plus almost all of the prior 3 summers, with me wife and home 2000 miles away, that i was damn near on the verge of getting divorced (after being married only a year) over this consumptive hobby...not wanting that, yet retreating into a rain-man like state the whole long damn school year (i teach) b/c there's nothing better in virginia than rock climbing (longest pitch 100 feet, with continual danger of redneck debris reigning down from above) i had to, as you say, come to my senses and achieve a more western state of consciousness...can't wait to be able to get in a good 4 climbs a month with awesome, no bullshit summers to boot

now i just hope i can convince some damn fool can hire me

i saw the wy'east route on the approach to the cooper, i think...i assume it's approached from the same campground as the cooper? opinions on soloing it? on this job hunting trip to come the wife'll have to chill at the timberline while i'm out, so long approaches might have to be ruled out (the Leuthold looks interesting though, and I remember the descent down the standard route to be right quick)

christ, when's spring break even gonna get here?

[Alpine_Tom]

I think it’s normally approached from Timberline. That’s the way I went, anyhow. I did it solo, and except for the short step, it seemed pretty safe.

The amusing bit is that, as I was looking at the step, trying to figure out what to do, this old guy (in his seventies, I’m sure, in a one-piece down suit) came down it in telemark skis. Slow, one step at a time, but I figured if he could walk down it in skis, I could sure get up it with crampons and an ice axe.

[Zenolith]

wow, you saw beckey on hood?!!

[Alpine_Tom]

Nah, it wasn't Beckey. But the down suit had this big sewn-on patch that looked like a K-2 expedition logo. I wanted to ask, but "hey, are you someone famous?" is almost as tacky as not recognizing the name when they tell you.

[sayjay]

a bit of a tangent, but...

10+ years ago I was heading up to climb the N Face of the Grand Teton and my partner and I saw this guy who looked JUST like Yvon Chouinard. So I go up to him and I say "Hey, wow, you look SO MUCH like Yvon Chouinard." "Yeah" he smirks, "that's cause I am".

I felt like a dork... nice guy, though.

(oh, and no, we didn't make it. got hailed off. so did Yvon.)

[texplorer]

Hey Sayhay, I did the N Face last year and what a confusing climb. I agree with Ian about Leuthold's. For the time of the year you are climbing I would suggest the wy'est route. You can start from the lodge and descend the standard route. Whichever route -enjoy!

[Fairweather]

As Alpine Tom wrote, Wyeast is fairly easy. However, you DO NOT want to slip in the Wyeast Chimney or go into it unprotected if the snow is mushy. It is almost 50 degrees with the "White Spider" lurking just below you.

I've done it twice. Both times the last 300 feet "got me thinkin'".

[imorris]

Trivial, but I thought that was called the "Black Spider". I believe the "White Spider" refers to the Eiger.

[Fairweather]

quote:

---

Originally posted by imorris:

Trivial, but I thought that was called the "Black Spider". I believe the "White Spider" refers to the Eiger.

---

Oops! You're right. Regardless, its a long freakin' way to fall.

[texplorer]

That black spider looks like a total choss climb. Someday when my balls grow a bit more I'll do it and yockum both. By then I'll be able to write my book about all my partners that have died climbing with me and I'll put a cool pic of the BS route on my cover that will kick wicky's yockum ridge pic. . . or I'll just climb south side for the 100th time.

[ 03-16-2002: Message edited by: texplorer ]

[wayne]

When freezing conditions occur the Black Spider offers several great routes. One of them is actually quite doable at 5.6-AI3. It follows the obvious couloir up the right side then exits left though a hidden easy ramp.I called it the Davis Ramp. I believe it is the route Ted Davis soloed in the 70's. The other routes require what you described in the scrotal region.I talked with Jeff Thomas about when his new guide was to be out with alll the new stuff on Hood and it will be a while

[imorris]

Thanks for the objective info about those routes. Nice to hear from someone who actually climbed them w/o the usual "it's a death wish" stuff from people who seem to have only scoped the lines from Meadows! By the way, I'm amazed how often you come up as the first ascensionist for such a wide variety of climbing, yet you keep so quiet. Nice work on I. Rock, Gorge ice, trad, etc,etc. Good luck if you decide to return to K2.

How's that for blowing sunshine?

-Iain