June 27 Wyeast face Mt Hood

After saying goodbye to Buell, Ari and I were on our way north to tackle Mt Hood. Our original intention was to tackle the Leuthold couloir but with the late season conditions we decided to save that trip for a later time. I had done the Old chute the year prior so we decided to head over to the Eastern side and hit up Wyeast instead. We decided that the approach from Meadows was more efficient then timberline with a better fall line and minimal traversing compared to the long scree climbing we would of have to deal with from the Timberline parking lot. We were happy to find continuous snow from the base of the resort so we were able to skin all the way up to the top lifts shack before switching over to bootpacking on a high ridge that was a direct path to the Wyeast headwall.

After a few hours of climbing up the dusty ridge we found ourselves on the steep headwall with a little bit over 2000 vert of cramponing before reaching the summit ridge. The whole face was empty with only one other guy climbing an hour ahead of us so we followed his boot pack up most the way until my feet started slipping out on his path so I switched over to switch backing up the steepest areas. After a little less then 5 hours both Ari and I were standing on the ridge looking down into the crater and standard hogsback route overlooking more then 30 people climbing, skiing and resting while Ari and I stood on the ridge without another soul anywhere around. We rested for around a half hour getting our energy back and waiting for the snow to soften.

Climbing the Scree with the Wyeast headwall in the distance

Ari on the final slopes before reaching the summit ridge


At around 1p.m. we dropped onto the 40 degree face of Wyeast and were happy to find soft smooth corn for the first 2000 feet. Once we made it down into the Heather Canyon the snow became textured in sun cups and runnels making for an interesting traverse back to the top of the ski resort. We were forced to carry our gear over a few dirt patches before arriving at the top of Meadows but once there we were able to ride the smooth yet sticky snow to within 100 feet of the parking lot.

Snowboarding down the Wyeast headwall before my camera died


In conclusion Wyeast is a classic with great fall line. While some people say the approach from timberline is better I disagree, Meadows is 1000 feet lower but more then makes up for it while skiing down hill. This face would be amazing mid winter with routes that you could take in all types of conditions including a high ridge that would keep you safe from Avi danger. If you want to get away from the crowds and still get good skiing on Hood, Wyeast is a great place to do so that for the next week or two before the snowmelts.