Hood SS Conditions?

[yesman]

I'm thinking of taking my kid up the South Side this thursday night - I've never been on the route this late in the season. Anybody been up there recently? I'm curious on snow cover, rockfall, etc. - many thanks!

[ARBrandon]

I'm thinking of taking my kid up the South Side this thursday night - I've never been on the route this late in the season. Anybody been up there recently? I'm curious on snow cover, rockfall, etc. - many thanks!

 

I went up the 7th via the 3 o'clock couloir off the Old Chute. Nice and firm going up the Old Chute. It is pretty much a stair case to the top. I'd say as long as you're up there early then you'll be good.

 

Here is conditions report from the 12th:

http://www.mountainshop.net/blog/?page_id=514#conditions

[yesman]

Thanks!

[tcweiskopf]

I'd be interested in knowing the conditions if you end up going up Thursday. If good, I wouldn't mind trying to hit it early next week.

 

Post about it when you get back if you end up going!

[ARBrandon]

let us know how the climb goes. i may try to take one last run up hood next weekend.

[yesman]

All good on the SS as of last night - straight forward with the exception of the catwalk being largely melted out and the "One O'Clock Coulior" being the chossy exit of choice to avoid the sketch of the catwalk. No wind and bluebird - 12 year old kid tore it up, great outing!

[ARBrandon]

Anyone been up this week?

[pup_on_the_mountain]

Went up Wednesday (07/24/2013). Things are melting fast, but the Old Chute was still in shape. A team of two did turn around near the top of the Chute because they thought it was too icy to go up and down with a single axe (at around 7 AM). I found it okay though - at least, not any icier than lower down. But as yesman said, the summit ridge is melted out. In fact, I found the exit from the Chute on to the summit ridge too loose for my comfort level. Despite trying hard, I could not prevent myself from knocking a couple of rocks down (luckily, there was no one on the Chute at that time). I decided to bail at that point.

[ARBrandon]

Went up Wednesday (07/24/2013). Things are melting fast, but the Old Chute was still in shape. A team of two did turn around near the top of the Chute because they thought it was too icy to go up and down with a single axe (at around 7 AM). I found it okay though - at least, not any icier than lower down. But as yesman said, the summit ridge is melted out. In fact, I found the exit from the Chute on to the summit ridge too loose for my comfort level. Despite trying hard, I could not prevent myself from knocking a couple of rocks down (luckily, there was no one on the Chute at that time). I decided to bail at that point.

 

Thanks, man! Doesn't sound worth it to me. I was mostly going up for conditioning, not the experience haha.

[Ben Beckerich]

Loose scree and boulder hiking to the knife-edge, straightforward walk from there. Rockfall is too much of a hazard for any other route, but the Old Chute is pretty tame. Really not a big deal.

 

Hood has a weird psychology attached to it- when it's in the same condition as every other crumbly volcano, everyone says it's "out" and unsafe and not worth it, etc... Yet we still scramble up the other, worse pieces of shit on the Ring Of Fire without complaint. The south side of Hood isn't super phun when it's melted out.... but is it ever "fun?" 100' of loose scree sucks, but so does the rest of the damn route anyway.

 

"Worth it," and "fun" are entirely subjective, and nobody needs to defend their positions- I'm just airing my perspective on this one.

[pup_on_the_mountain]

Rockfall is too much of a hazard for any other route, but the Old Chute is pretty tame. Really not a big deal.

 

Hood has a weird psychology attached to it- when it's in the same condition as every other crumbly volcano, everyone says it's "out" and unsafe and not worth it, etc..

I agree with you on this one. This is the latest in the season I've ever been on Hood. I was somewhat unsure about what conditions we'd find. But we had a full moon, a cool breeze all along, and the snow was just about perfect. In retrospect, the exit to the summit ridge was the only problematic spot for me (the rest of the summit ridge looked tame).