July 5, 2007, Snowdome, Mt. Hood
7/5/07
OR Mt Hood
3807
7
I camped at Cloudcap the night of the 4th and got some sunset and sunrise pictures (which got me going a bit late).
I wasn't sure of the route, trying to make the guide book and recent trip reports jive, but it becomes obvious once you are up on the Cooper Spur trail along the moraine. Just follow it to a big rock pile which marks a good trail down the moraine to the Elliot glacier, then walk up it (I left my hiking boots at the spot marked B in the next photo), cross below the first roll over and cliffs, and up climber's right. I followed the continuous snow (C) up right to the base of the Snowdome. Good skinning (and skiing marked G) took me to the top of the easy dome.
I passed the
Skiing the first section was slow due to the icy patches and crevasses on either side. On the way up I thought I'd drop down skier's left of the rock I'd passed on the other side, but the conditions, and long shrund/crevasse below the steep roll over persuaded me to ski back and step down my climbing route.
The dome itself was pretty good skiing, lumpy up high, smoother for the last 1,000 ft. which I went back up and lapped. This shot is of a skier who passed me while I was skinning up.
Bumpy cruising got me back to my hiking boots, and an easy walk got me back to a cold beer at the car, then a swim in Trillian Lake.
It was fun getting up on a new aspect of Hood, and the bottom section of the dome was great skiing, but I wouldn't drive all the way down there now for that, and the Sunshine is out of condition at this point in the season for my skill level.
The Snowdome catches the last light.
I wasn't sure of the route, trying to make the guide book and recent trip reports jive, but it becomes obvious once you are up on the Cooper Spur trail along the moraine. Just follow it to a big rock pile which marks a good trail down the moraine to the Elliot glacier, then walk up it (I left my hiking boots at the spot marked B in the next photo), cross below the first roll over and cliffs, and up climber's right. I followed the continuous snow (C) up right to the base of the Snowdome. Good skinning (and skiing marked G) took me to the top of the easy dome.
I passed the
, with more ice glistening above. <br /><br />I called it quits at the last shrund/crevasse when I crossed the snowbridge and looked at the nice steep slope Oyvind and party had skied. A fall there would deposit you into the biggest, ugliest crevasse on the Elliot. Given the variable snow conditions I also ruled out the traverse that Hefeweizen did to the right. I sheltered from possible rock fall in the shrund to eat lunch and watch the thousands of butterflies cruise by. I guess the mt. must be directly in their migration path.<br /><a href=)
Skiing the first section was slow due to the icy patches and crevasses on either side. On the way up I thought I'd drop down skier's left of the rock I'd passed on the other side, but the conditions, and long shrund/crevasse below the steep roll over persuaded me to ski back and step down my climbing route.
The dome itself was pretty good skiing, lumpy up high, smoother for the last 1,000 ft. which I went back up and lapped. This shot is of a skier who passed me while I was skinning up.
Bumpy cruising got me back to my hiking boots, and an easy walk got me back to a cold beer at the car, then a swim in Trillian Lake.
It was fun getting up on a new aspect of Hood, and the bottom section of the dome was great skiing, but I wouldn't drive all the way down there now for that, and the Sunshine is out of condition at this point in the season for my skill level.
The Snowdome catches the last light.
Great pics, jd,
You're covering plenty of solo ground, that's for sure.
You're covering plenty of solo ground, that's for sure.
Nice TR and pictures.
We were there on July 7 and had a very enjoyable day. Despite a perfect, calm, weekend day, we saw just a handful of other skiers and a few hikers. The skiing was very good to excellent.
And the butterflies were amazing --one could actually hear them flying by! We've seen them before at this time of year on Mt Adams, too, always flying from east to west, but never so many at once.
We have done this trip several times before and we always used the low Eliot Creek Crossing so we had never tried this higher approach. I think my partner preferred the hazard of the crevasses at the toe of the Eliot glacier to the hazard of crossing Eliot Creek! (The bridge was never in place when we went.)
Although I also liked this route for the approach, the drawback of this high route for the exit is not being able to ski the Langille Bowls. The run from the top of the Snowdome to the Timberline trail is one of my favorites.
We were there on July 7 and had a very enjoyable day. Despite a perfect, calm, weekend day, we saw just a handful of other skiers and a few hikers. The skiing was very good to excellent.
And the butterflies were amazing --one could actually hear them flying by! We've seen them before at this time of year on Mt Adams, too, always flying from east to west, but never so many at once.
We have done this trip several times before and we always used the low Eliot Creek Crossing so we had never tried this higher approach. I think my partner preferred the hazard of the crevasses at the toe of the Eliot glacier to the hazard of crossing Eliot Creek! (The bridge was never in place when we went.)
Although I also liked this route for the approach, the drawback of this high route for the exit is not being able to ski the Langille Bowls. The run from the top of the Snowdome to the Timberline trail is one of my favorites.
I called it quits at the last shrund/crevasse when I crossed the snowbridge and looked at the nice steep slope Oyvind and party had skied. A fall there would deposit you into the biggest, ugliest crevasse on the Elliot.
It was only Oyvind and Monika who skied that slope. I took one turn and judged the conditions to be very dangerous given the consequences. I side stepped down. There's a big ice cliff there in addition to the crevasse. Very nice pics and great trip, thanks for your report.
Those are some classy images! I really like the one with the late-afternoon light.
I was trying to figure out where the previous trip rpt. had made their descent above the Dome. Thanks for making note of that. That's a sweet slope, but not worth an unfavorable scenario.
Check out the Forest Service website as they offer degrees of steepness for all the routes on Hood. Sunshine/Coe Icefall is 50 degrees.
Turns out -
I was trying to figure out where the previous trip rpt. had made their descent above the Dome. Thanks for making note of that. That's a sweet slope, but not worth an unfavorable scenario.
Check out the Forest Service website as they offer degrees of steepness for all the routes on Hood. Sunshine/Coe Icefall is 50 degrees.
Turns out -
author=skimtner link=topic=7572.msg30230#msg30230 date=1184201779]
I was trying to figure out where the previous trip rpt. had made their descent above the Dome. Check out the Forest Service website as they offer degrees of steepness for all the routes on Hood. Sunshine/Coe Icefall is 50 - 60 degrees.
Hi
We made a descent as soon as it changed from rock to snow, i.e. farthest climbers left on that whole wide sunshine "route" above the snowdome.
Usually routes straight on look steeper than actual like Cooper Spur route. for me the sunshine route is steeper than it looks.
In the N Hood TR by OH, check Paul Russell's pic "oyvind descent". If you turn the picture so the clouds are more horizontal,you can see the slope approaching 50.
Nice pictures; I decided to do the SnowDome shuffle on Saturday (the 14th) and the pictures were helpful. Only saw a few other folks but the butterflies are still up there by the thousands (millions?). Having them hit me in the mug while skiing down encouraged me to ski with my mouth shut. Lots of fun.
I also went to Trillium Lake for a swim afterwards. The views from the lake were nice, but it was crowded and the water isn't to my liking: murky with a muddy bottom. Anyone know a good swimming hole to cool off after getting turns on Hood?
I also went to Trillium Lake for a swim afterwards. The views from the lake were nice, but it was crowded and the water isn't to my liking: murky with a muddy bottom. Anyone know a good swimming hole to cool off after getting turns on Hood?
Bagby Hot Springs!!!!!!!!
World Class if you have the extra hour... If you haven't been there before, put it on your 10 things to do before your car dies.
Cedar Log Tubs and Hot Tubs with "Gilligan's Island" plumbing with public as well as semi-private bath houses.
Enjoy-...We did on our CornRodeo Rest Day.
Location between Esticada and Detroit at the head of the Clakamus R.
Pin!
World Class if you have the extra hour... If you haven't been there before, put it on your 10 things to do before your car dies.
Cedar Log Tubs and Hot Tubs with "Gilligan's Island" plumbing with public as well as semi-private bath houses.
Enjoy-...We did on our CornRodeo Rest Day.
Location between Esticada and Detroit at the head of the Clakamus R.
Pin!
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