Climbing Mt. Hood on August - Season / Equipment

Hi,

I will visit in north Oregon on August, and I thought it might be a good opportunity to climb mount hood. But: I read in several places that August is the most dangerous time for the climb because of many rock falls in that season.

- Can anyone confirm this?

According to what I read, the South Side route is supposed to be the easiest way up.

- Does anyone knows how technical this route is, and what equipment I should I have with me (ice axe? crampones? ...)

Thanks :-)

Climbing Mt. Hood on August - Season / Equipment

I am not a climber, but my DH is and has done Hood several times. There is no way he would attempt Hood in August. For him, June is the latest. You definitely need an ice axe, crampons,etc as it is a technical climb. If you are coming in August, please pass on this thought of climbing and instead do some great hikes.

Climbing Mt. Hood on August - Season / Equipment

In looking through the Obsidians climb reports, I couldn%26#39;t find any August climbs of Mt. Hood (which should tell you a lot!).

The following is from a May 30, 2005 report, which should give you some idea of what to expect if you are bold (rash?) enough to attempt the climb. Falling rocks have taken their toll on a few climbers in the past couple of years.

';After getting a little sleep in the cars, we started the climb at 12:09 am. We hiked on dirt all the way to the Silcox hut. There was very little snow on the lower mountain. It looked like late July or early August. This very fit group made the first mile to the Silcox Hut in 38 minutes, and we stopped for a break. From here, the pace slowed a little as we hit snow on the Palmer. The snow was soft鈥攑erfect for kicking steps. We arrived at the top of the Palmer chairlift at 2:30 am and took a short break. The sky was still clear and the stars were bright and we had a half moon. We climbed another 600 vertical feet above the Palmer and we put on crampons because the snow was getting firm.

';Shortly after that we passed a Mazama group. To my surprise, there were very few groups on the mountain. We hit the base of Crater Rock at first light, about 4:30, stopped to put on helmets and then we charged to the Hogsback, arriving by 5:30.

';Here we roped up in three ropes of three. The snow was firm and hard, and we had a clear shot to the summit. We didn鈥檛 have to wait for anyone. We passed the Bergschrund on the left and passed through the Pearly Gates onto the summit, arriving by 7:00. We spent 40 minutes on the summit taking pictures, enjoying the views, and giving high fives. We could see Mt. Jefferson to the south, St. Helens and Mt. Adams to the north. The clouds were still just below the Timberline Lodge parking lot, and it looked like a blanket of cotton balls.

';After a safe descent back through the Pearly Gates, and some good glissades below Crater Rock, we slogged back to the cars, arriving by 11:52 am.';

I have climbed Mt Hood several times but never in August (it is doable then but as others have said the rockfall makes for substantially more danger.) The south side is ';easiest'; but that makes for much of the problem - too accessible, too many novices, too easy to ignore the weather, too exposed to the sun (which melts the ice/snow allowing for rockfall.) That said it is a great mountain in a great location...but only consider doing it in August with a recognized guide service/program, and even then I would urge caution.

Several websites have more info than I can provide:

鈥way.com/gorp/鈥li_moun.htm summitpost.org/mountain/鈥ount-hood.html

mazamas.org/your/adventure/starts-here/C76/

I have never climbed Mt Hood, but would not attempt to climb it in August-espcially if you are like me and are new to mountain climbing.

If you want a less technical climb-think about South Sister in Central Oregon. I climbed this in late August with the Mazamas. You most likely will not need an ice axe or crampons here, but like all mountains weather can change at a moments notice and make sure to pack all your survival gear. (look on the mazamas website for a list of the 10 essentials).

dont forget a locator beacon and a charged cell phone

chinookgrrl--That is one of my favorite hikes! You are right, you definitely do not need an ice axe or crampons for the South Sister in the summer, from late June onward. We have summitted the South Sister many times and August is ideal, IMO.

Thanks everybody for your helpful comments.

It looks I am not going to climb hood this time...

- Danny

Hood isn%26#39;t the only volcanic peak to climb in Oregon (although it is the biggest). If you are a qualified climber, I suggest you check with the websites of the Mazamas in Portland, the Chemeketas in Salem and the Obsidians in Eugene to see their summer climb schedules. You can then contact the organizations by email (or, in some cases, the leaders themselves by phone or email) to see if their plans coincide with yours and get a feel for the group and the degree of climb difficulty. Going with such a group is well advised for most climbs (and saves their mountain rescue units for having to find you).