Aug 3, 2010, Mt. Hood, Snow Dome
8/3/10
OR Mt Hood
2597
2
After a short nighttime bivy at the Cloud Cap Campground parking lot, we awoke to clear skies, and a very red sunrise.
After a leisurely breakfast, we were on trail around 7:00. It was a quick jaunt up to the rock shelter, at which point we cut down the moraine and joined the lower Eliot.
We cut to climbers right on the lower Eliot, and followed a finger of snow to the right that lead to Langille ridge right at the foot of Snow Dome. Continuing up, conditions were starting to soften up nicely.
We reached about 9000 feet, had lunch on a rock out cropping and headed down right around 11:30. Conditions and coverage on the dome were great, with a slight bit of stickiness down where we rejoined with the lower Eliot. Very little crevasse issue to mention. The only crevasse crossing we had was at the top of the first pitch of the lower Eliot, from there on out, everything was solid.
Full set of pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanleonard/sets/72157624529255297/with/4860455871/
http://www.ski121west.com
After a leisurely breakfast, we were on trail around 7:00. It was a quick jaunt up to the rock shelter, at which point we cut down the moraine and joined the lower Eliot.
We cut to climbers right on the lower Eliot, and followed a finger of snow to the right that lead to Langille ridge right at the foot of Snow Dome. Continuing up, conditions were starting to soften up nicely.
We reached about 9000 feet, had lunch on a rock out cropping and headed down right around 11:30. Conditions and coverage on the dome were great, with a slight bit of stickiness down where we rejoined with the lower Eliot. Very little crevasse issue to mention. The only crevasse crossing we had was at the top of the first pitch of the lower Eliot, from there on out, everything was solid.
Full set of pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanleonard/sets/72157624529255297/with/4860455871/
http://www.ski121west.com
Nice pictures - glad to see the route is holding up well!
Update on conditions on Aug. 7...
I went up with alpine gear in my pack and had to put crampons on my leather hiking boots for the entire hike up. Snow was firm, no post-holing, but top few inches were soft and slippery. I chose to avoid the crevasses on the lower Elliot and took the more northerly route down. However, at the two spots circled in red in the pic below, I had to remove my skis to cross rocks and then detour around a crevasse. Snow was nice coming down at 11:30 on a partially cloudy and cooler than usual day. I didn't have a cam with me (my pack is too heavy already!) so I had to hijack a pic from the original poster. Hope that's OK.
I went up with alpine gear in my pack and had to put crampons on my leather hiking boots for the entire hike up. Snow was firm, no post-holing, but top few inches were soft and slippery. I chose to avoid the crevasses on the lower Elliot and took the more northerly route down. However, at the two spots circled in red in the pic below, I had to remove my skis to cross rocks and then detour around a crevasse. Snow was nice coming down at 11:30 on a partially cloudy and cooler than usual day. I didn't have a cam with me (my pack is too heavy already!) so I had to hijack a pic from the original poster. Hope that's OK.
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