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[TR] Mt Hood - North Face Left Gully 12/9/2011


Crackman

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Trip: Mt Hood - North Face Left Gully

 

Date: 12/9/2011

 

Trip Report:

Decided to take the day off on Friday and get up on Hood before the weather window closed. Conditions on the route were superb with firm neve and ice to enjoy all the way. Came down Cooper Spur, which was also in fine shape.

 

Sunrise - going to be a great day!!!

Note - several good ice flows forming below the spur

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Skier on Cooper Spur - party of two heading up the spur with skiis, were the only other people I saw the whole day

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Massive bergschrund streched across the entrance to both N face gullies.

The two step ice flow on the left looked to be the best (most fun) start.

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First Ice Step

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Looking down

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Second step

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Traversed over to the left gully proper - pulled by St. Helens, Rainier, Adams

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Found a perfect rock for a resting perch halfway up

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Near the top of the gully, another ice step awaits...

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A couple more shots looking down.

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Futher up, yet another ice step...

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Self Portrait

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One last bit of ice to enjoy

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Happy to finally get to be in the sun on top

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A final look back, at the end of a great day.

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Going up:

Didn't get a look at Yokum, as it is on the other (W) side of the mountain.

 

There are probably a couple spots (depending on conditions and ability) where one could travese/downclimb from the spur to the base of the route. Spotting them on the way up and then re-locating successfuly on the way down would be key.

 

SS:

The entrance I took bypassed the wide-open section of the bergschrund on the left. It would be quite a challenge to take it head-on.

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Crackman,

 

I definitely owe you a beverage. Sweet step kicking! I waved to you from the Spur.

Our game plan was to approach from Timberline via skis, hit the north side and descend the south side. Actually shorter and less vert than from Tilly Jane trail.

Anyhow, we didn't see a straight forward way down to the Elliot from the Spur so we traversed the Chisolm trail and into the Left Gully. Very happy to take advantage of your steps through the soft sections.

Very nice solo. That start you did looks really cool.

Some pics from our day...

 

Thanks again!

 

 

 

 

 

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Sweet photos Nick.

I was looking for you that day, but was long gone before you had made it back down, albeit wishing I too were still up there.

Anyway, your wife Sara had mentioned your outing when I was closing up the bakery the night before and it's good to see what you wound up doing.

Nice climb for sure!

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Good to hear from you Pat - yeah it's been awhile. Was thinking of you as well during the climb, about when we did the right gully with Pete many years ago. Hope all is well and maybe we can get out climbing together again.

 

Hoodie,

Glad you could enjoy them! Thanks for solving the mystery in my mind, as I was wondering where you guys came from and then where you went? I like your idea of coming from T-line with skis. Nice collection of climbs and photos on your site.

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Nice TR, Crackman.

 

We daytripped the right gully from Seattle on Monday.. ice was QUALITY, the whole route was perfect. We running-belayed the first ice step and belayed the second ice step. Everything else we soloed. We downclimbed the Cooper Spur and the whole route took us a little over 11.5 hours round trip. If you can get it without any wind, this is the perfect time to do this route..

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aahh, gotcha. i was on the south side monday morning. started very calm, but by dawn, the wind whipping over the summit from the northeast was shooting powder well out into the crater. was wondering if anyone was on the flip side, and how they might be faring.

 

it'd obviously calmed down quite a bit by the time you guys got up there mon night.

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Literally zero wind all day, and ~25 degrees on the summit. This was my third time down there in the past two months trying to get this route in good conditions (ie no wind). My worst success rate on any mountain anywhere is Mt. Hood.. I'm 2 for 8. Almost all my failures have been because of wind.

 

Good luck.

 

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