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[TR] Riding off the Hogsback - South Side Route 12/30/2012


harrai

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Trip: Riding off the Hogsback - South Side Route

 

Date: 12/30/2012

 

Trip Report:

Hope you all enjoyed the sun today. Not sure if this is exciting enough for you guys, or "climbing" enough, but some might enjoy the photos. Started skinning up the south side from the climber's lot at 7am this morning. Cold and clear. Made it up to the top of Palmer around 8:45 or so, where the snow got DEEP! Everyone I saw in mountaineering boots--but without flotation--didn't seem to be making it any further. Continued up towards Crater Rock on my splitboard, and fell in with some PMR guys on skis and splits. We took turns breaking trail and were able to skin all the way up to about half way up the hogsback. It got too steep to skin, and we collectively decided that chest deep was deeper than we felt like bootpacking, and chose not to swim the rest of the way to the summit. A pit was dug on the east aspect of the hogsback at about 10,750 and the reported results were CT15 (Q2). We dropped in there, rode that face, cut over and traversed high around crater rock and then rode down to the east face of Illumination Rock. The snow was fantastic!!! Some of the best, and lightest that I have ever had the pleasure to ride on Hood. The snow became a lot more textured and wind-affected from Illumination down, but still very fast and fun. We were kicking off some sluff, but no real movement. There were remnants of some pretty significant slides that I assume were natural releases during this last storm cycle. One had slid from above Castle Crags and didn't stop until it was about even with the bottom of Illumination rock.

 

Here are some photos. Enjoy! This is my first report, so feel free to let me know if this to too touring focused to be relevant this group.

 

Hogsback-8.jpgHogsback-1.jpgHogsback-4.jpgHogsback-5.jpgHogsback-6.jpgHogsback-7.jpgHogsback-2.jpgHogsback-3.jpg

 

Gear Notes:

Need good flotation! Jones 161 Carbon Solution Split. Karakoram bindings. Some verts would have meant making the summit.

Edited by harrai
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nice - saw you as you cruised on by - us bi-peds had to be content to smoke cigs and kevetch at the top of the palmer before descending to get a decent drunk on :)

 

So I take it that you still haven't figured out how to use the AT setup that Rbw1963 and I set you up with ... keep on mushin'

 

:brew:

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nice - saw you as you cruised on by - us bi-peds had to be content to smoke cigs and kevetch at the top of the palmer before descending to get a decent drunk on :)

 

So I take it that you still haven't figured out how to use the AT setup that Rbw1963 and I set you up with ... keep on mushin'

 

:brew:

yup, that was maybe 10 years ago - never underestimate the power of kids and stupid :)

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brings to mind someone who doesn't know how to ski trying to learn on silvretta with mountaineering boots in a whiteout and saying skiing sucks. spose its like trying to do some WI5 with a single straight shaft axe and saying ice climbing sucks.

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brings to mind someone who doesn't know how to ski trying to learn on silvretta with mountaineering boots in a whiteout and saying skiing sucks. spose its like trying to do some WI5 with a single straight shaft axe and saying ice climbing sucks.
HAHAHA, I've watched that one unfold, too. They were not laughing, however.
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If you are going to use my name at least get it right. Hows it going Wes?

 

My first experience on skis was with silvretta's and mountaineering boots. Major suckage!

 

nice - saw you as you cruised on by - us bi-peds had to be content to smoke cigs and kevetch at the top of the palmer before descending to get a decent drunk on :)

 

So I take it that you still haven't figured out how to use the AT setup that Rbw1963 and I set you up with ... keep on mushin'

 

:brew:

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Update on Hood conditions from 1-1-2013:

 

A group of us climbed up on New Year's day with the hopes of summiting. We got to the hogsback and dug a pit on the east side of the hogsback just below the bergschrund. We were hoping to skin or climb up the old chute- no one had done it recently, and the snow looked inviting. It was a little late in the day, around 2 PM. We planned on digging two pits because of the way the aspect changes as you traverse and ascend. The second pit wasn’t necessary- we got a CT 11 Q2 on the first pit at about 8-10 inches down. Interestingly, we also got a Q1 2.5 to 3 feet down, but it was well past CT 30. Our thinking was that it would take a lot to get that layer to go, but if it did go, it would be quite catastrophic. The CT 11 layer was a no go (in our opinion) as well, so we skied down the lower angle side of the hogsback to Devil’s Kitchen, and down from there. I was personally surprised because the snowpack had a chance to settle over a few days with no new snow, but with a CT 11 we skedaddled.

 

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