Leothold Couloir 6-14-08

Sat.,  I climbed Mt. Hood via Hogback "old chut" Hawkins area and then skied Leothold Couloir.  Some pretty scary stuff to witness like:  a guy falling from very high on the Hogback (with ice axe still on his pack) tumbling and cartwheeling etc. to the hot sulfur pit of Crater rock (he stopped with in 10' of the bare steaming hard pan and NOT injured).  While this was going on, two snow boarder were  coming down and falling (the surface was extremely firm...) and one guy was able to stop using his ice axe; the other through techniques that he seem to just "pull out of a hat".  Another skier released a ski (sure glad my tele binding will never come off..) quite low down.  So the ski racers I was ending up ascending with (us, austrian, slovianian national team....) were a little concerned but we all made it to the top with out incident.

After I took about ten photos for them, the "reluctant" racers shredded Hawkins like rock stars!!!!!

So now where am I going (after I negotiating that knife edge/arrret on the top) now that I'm all alone and things are probably firm over on the west face area?  Have not skied Sandy Headwall since the "mid 90's"  and have never really had a good look at Leuthold's.  So I make my way down the ridge slope on the way to Yocum Ridge, on the most heinous sustrig/ice/broken glass crap that deflect binding, boots skis...you name it!

Now it is about 3pm and this crap is not letting up and can't tell if things will warm up or change (could it get any worse?)....  Finally get into the couloir and and YES it was all changing INTO PERFECT CORN!  What a very cool route (inspite of the crap on the way to it...).. Could not have asked for better snow and really nary a trench  (As Dan "get a hair cut/job" both overratted  said...).  Saw the 'shruds and like he said--easy to deal with. 
Asthectically that route is a 10...beautiful with all the rim on the walls, which was pretty much staying in place for the most part.  Once down onto the Reid Gl. and over Illumiation saddle,  there was some stuff falling off but all seemed manageable.  Little break at 'lum saddle and off to the eastern Zig Zag of unbelievably  great snow, all the way to Timberline Lodge (best I've ever had on the Zig Zag zone!!!)

I've now teleid  Cooper Spur, Sandy Glacier Headwall,W'east, Hawkins area past Hot rocks etc. and Leotholds (which is truly a gem...).  Side noteOregon High (old guide book out of print..) makes Sandy Headwall sound like it is just a tad  bigger than Leutholds (understatement not intended...).  Was thinking when standing at top of Leotholds that there was no way I could have been mistaking this for Sandy Hdwall as that first look (reflecting back...) down Sandy Hdwall just really makes one pause..  ("I'm going to ski this?????") 

Got my June skiing in.......now where is that guitar...