Skiing Cascade Volcanoes

[EastCoastSkier]

Hey NW climbers/skiers. My buddy and I are in town from new england for the next few days, hoping to climb to and ski from the summit of some mountains around Portland. Anyone on this website that can hook us up with some info?

 

A) whats the best climb/ski route on st helens? anything special we should know about that?

B) south spur the best way to go for skiing mt adams? what should we know with this route?

C) on mt hood: cooper spur vs sunshine vs southside?

 

Thanks so much for any info, we certainly appreciate it. Hope to meet some of you out there.

-Andy

[Water]

mt st helens requires 'permits' this time of year to go up.

or you could always just go anyways. the permit system is bullshit, for reference.

 

southside/south spur for adams, yes. though a route that was new to me 'winter variation' is where the boot-pack is going--basically you get to treeline and veer to the east, going up west of south butte (look on a topo) and east of the crescent glacier (not west like normal), due to big cornices along the ridge you normally gain below the crescent glacier. parking is a clusterfuck about 2-snowfree miles from the normal trailhead, due to a few persistent snowbanks. saw both climbing rangers at the summit and at lunch counter (flat area below the false summit) and they did not ask about the permit or anything (i had not put mine on my pack either) so i'd personally skip it... otherwise its $10 weekday/$15 weekend. but unlike st helens, no limit and not paying $7 service fee to a hosting website.

 

mt hood: ski the southside probably.. road to cloud cap is probably not open = ~4 miles of snow-free trail carrying skis down to cooper spur snowpark.

 

also consider the drive to south sister for more vertical than st helens.

[iain]

The road to cloud cap is not open.