nooob

[gixxerkidd03]

whats up guys, new to the forum and considering myself new to climbing, i've been training in the gym and proficient at v5 - 5.11 climbing. a few years back i climbed shasta but have lacked much experience since in the forum of mountaineering.

 

i have a small list of training hikes planned as well as some pretty basic summits planned for the summer. in two week a buddy and i plan to skin up the south side of mt hood to the summit but i have a few questions you guys maybe able answer.

 

at what point do you normally stop skinning and put on the crampons on the route , and how necessary is it to rope up to reach the summit?

 

i look forward to contributing to this forums as much as i can, and already appreciate the bank of knowledge to guys/and gals , produce!

 

CHEERS!

 

Eric

 

 

[Bronco]

Whats up Eric, lots of folks skin up to the top of the Palmer lift, some skin to the top of the Hogsback, it depends on the conditions at the time and your ability. Definitely do take your boards, very much reduces the suck of walking down, even if the skiing isn't "enjoyable". In April 2014 I had good snow on the upper mountain, mashed potatoes mid mountain down to the bottom of the Hogsback, frozen suncups from there down to the groomed run so it can vary quite a bit.

 

I don't know that many folks rope up for the Southside route this time of year, do they? It seemed pretty benign when I was there but I was by myself so I didn't really think too much about roping up. Read up on your snow travel skills, chapter 13 (in the 6th ed) of Freedom of the Hills contains a lot of good info on ropes/snow/mountains. There's a bunch of factors to consider when deciding to rope up or not.

 

Anticipate crowds and goofy stuff going on. Obviously if the weather turns or the masses are hindering progress, get on down the mountain quickly.

[pioneerian]

welcome gixxer! south side is pretty straight forward as I'm sure you've heard. I generally tell people if you want a little extra security on the upper slope, leave the rope and bring another axe/2nd tool. I think this gives you better options between routes (chute, pearly gates, mazama) and can go for whatever is least crowded. Bronco's comments are as what I've experienced for skiing. Good luck!

[cjm84]

Hey - I went up Hogback/Pearly Gates last week (18 April). My buddy and I ran into a bunch of folks skinning up the south side (we just walked up). A couple solos, too. No one roped up that day - no need. No schrund, no crevasses. We brought the usual pickets, harnesses and a glacier rope but there was no need for them.

 

Seems most were skinning up to around Crater Rock (or short of it by a few hundred feet), then ditching the skis or boards at the base of Hogback and booting it up through Pearly Gates to summit. I brought an extra tool, which made the gates easier - but last week it wasn't necessary, I'm pretty sure I was the only one who did. Saw some tracks heading down the old chute, but I'm not sure of the snow conditions. By mid morning everything was getting pretty slushy on the way down.

[JasonG]

No open crevasses perhaps. They're most certainly there, and conditions will be changing week to week throughout the spring.

 

e.g.: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1148277/Re_Mt_Hood#Post1148277