Hood Hogsback shift

[musky333]

 

I have heard it mentioned several times in this forumn that the Hogsback has shifted west. I compared photos I took when I did the Old Chute route this June with pictures taken as recently as 2006 and see that it is very noticeable. My question to those of you that have climbed Hood over the years is this: Have you seen this happen before, is it common for it to shift, and what is the most that you have seen it shift?

I had a great time up there and was just curious.

[Frikadeller]

Well, there is a reason the "old chute" route is called as such. The Hogsback snow ridge used to be shifted sharply to the west and much smaller in size during the 1920's to the 1950's. During that time climbers went up the same route that people do today.

In the 1960's the Hogsback moved east again, and what we know as "the chute" and "pearly gates" came back as the main climbing route on the south side.

As of the last few years, the ridge has been moving east again, and there is no telling when it will drift back again towards the "chute". But we'll see what happens this year, but I am not counting on it going back any time soon, if it's history provides some sort of pattern.

[musky333]

Thanks, Frick. Now I'm going to look up some of the old pics from way back.

[Frikadeller]

Also as an interesting note, The Forest Service used to set up fixed ropes in the old chute in the 1920's to 1940's. If you go up later in the year when most of the snow and ice have melted (like in late october etc.) you can still see traces of the old ropes that never where retrieved. But, I would not try using them as they are probably rotten and in bad shape. There also used to be a telephone cable ran up the old chute that went to the lookout cabin at the summit. There also was a cabin built at devils kitchen by the Wy'east climbing club in the 1930's. But because of avalanches and such, the cabin only lasted a few years. Today there is no trace of it.

[ScaredSilly]

You can find similar ropes on Cooper's Spur. Back in Oct 93 or so I found several. I pulled a few lengths out and watched them slither down the slope before dropping on to the Elliot Glacier.

[godskid5]

I've ran across remnants of these old rope stuck in the ice on the Eliot Glacier. Old, 1"(?) rope, looks kinda like the ropes we used to climb in gym class as a kid, only older, and sticking out of ice instead of the gym ceiling!!

 

 

[Jay Chute]

Yep, I was up there last sept and saw the old ropes. We came up Wyeast face to the summit and saw the old ropes goin down coopers spur and then walked down the old chute and sure enough there they were. We definitely didnt use them! Al kinds of artifacts are exposed ip there at that time of year although I would strongly suggest not going then. Your just askin for it