Mt.Hood Summit Hike

[sdenne2]

Hey Everyone!
My name is Sam, and my friends and i did a hike to Cloud Cap a couple Months ago on Mt.Hood. After this trip we were really Anxious to get to the summit, but we have never done any summit hiking before. We were wondering if anyone was doing a summit trip in later months, and if you could give us advice on how to prepare, and possibly accompany them on the trip to the summit!

[Grannyhiker]

The summit of Mt. Hood is not a "hike." It is a technical climb and requires training and specialized gear. I suggest you contact the Mazamas who offer this training.

[Excursionista]

I'd say the first best thing you can do is go hiking at least once or twice a week for the next three months. Start with moderate hikes (length and elevation gain) and work your way up to pounding up and down trails like Dog and Defiance. That'll give you strength training, stamina, and a ton of good experience climbing steep trails in cold, wet weather. Sign up for Mazama classes, meet and hike with other climbers, build a team and and shoot for a summit bid at the end of winter / beginning of spring, when it's still cold enough to freeze rocks in place but with better potential for windows of clear weather. One other thing - rent or purchase climbing gear (crampons, ice axe, etc) and start using it, either with the Mazamas or on your own. You can go out to any one of the snow parks and mess around, slide down hills, practice self-arrests, and so on. Grannyhiker is correct: the summit is not a "hike." Please do not attempt it without training and equipment, and some experience. I don't want to read about you in the paper, you know?

[retired jerry]

There were three people that died climbing from Cloud Cap a couple years ago. They still haven't found two of the bodies.

Maybe 20 years ago there were maybe a dozen people that did the easy route on the South side and got snowed in for several days. Eight died. One of the survivors had his legs amputated.

Then there was the time some people slid into the crevase on the South side, and the helicoptor that tried to rescue them crashed.

etc. etc...

[Guy]

Yes you can climb Mt. Hood you need a modicum of training on how to use an ice axe & crampons & a lot of common sense! If you go to the mazamas web site you shouldn't have any problem finding a course / guided climb.

The thing with Hood is you really don't need much skill to get up the South Side it's coming down that's the problem. The first 700 feet or so from the top back down to the Hogs back is pretty steep & if you slip there & don't know how to self arrest you are going for a ride. The other risk if you go on a busy day is another climber slipping and sliding into you. Thats what brought about the helecopter incident!

I remember watching this live on TV at the time & just couldn't believe it, the amazing thing is all the crew survived this crash. (not all the climbers survived their fall).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhfJDq_I1HA

If you are not in a hurry I'd suggest waiting a season & spending next year doing some of the other 10,000' plus mountains first. South Sister, St. Helens & Adams are all non technical but they will give you an idea of the stamina needed & give you a feel about how you feel about heights, exposure etc. Start with the South Sister it's the easiest. So my advice would be go for it but tackle Hood after doing a couple of the others first.

[Arioto]

'Tis no walk in the park. All advice given so far is good. Take the class, build your stamina and go with an experienced climber. Also, it might be a good idea to get a physical first. I found out I have excersize induced asthma while climbing Hood. Not fun.

[Waffle Stomper]

This might put the "hike" into perspective.

http://www.pmru.org/pressroom/headlines.html

[Excursionista]

This might put the "hike" into perspective.

http://www.pmru.org/pressroom/headlines.html

Those are the kinds of news reports I was talking about... Reading some of them, I thought about what some of my non-hiking friends, family, and coworkers think about my hiking habits, like going for long drives on backcountry gravel roads to hike solo into wilderness. The concern these friends feel for my safety is tempered by a little admiration for doing things they consider risky, or at least, unknown to them. That's how I feel about mountain climbers: concern mixed admiration for doing what they love.

All of which means this: if you love it, do it. Just do it right.

And come back with a sick trip report, so I can read all about it.

[Otto]

Mount Hood Summit from any route is not much of a hike. The south side is mostly a walk up, with no vertical climbing. But the slope does get pretty steep. Plus there is a little exposure at the summit ridge (Like 2000' on the north side vertical drop, and about 1000' on the south side of vertical drop) which is pretty narrow in some spots (about 2' wide) which I have seen make people freeze in fear, and or crawl on all fours.

Here are some pictures of me from last year around april. If you look you can see how steep parts of the climb is, and this is the easy route. Also notice, my helmet. It's required, and every year something bounces off that thing (rocks, and ice). This year I got caught in a ice barrage that had me hunkered down for a little bit, before I made a run for the hogsback ridge out of the line of fire.







But if you are still interested, there are some guide operations on the mountain. I have seen nothing but pure professionalism by Timberline Mountain Guides, so you might give them a look up on the google thing.

[Waffle Stomper]

Wow, I've never seen wild Henrys in their natural environment.