Skiing the Cascade Volcanoes
        Amar Andalkar's Ski Mountaineering and Climbing Site
Ski Mountaineering Photos & Trip Reports Equipment & Info Cascade Volcanoes Ring of Fire Site Map

Table of Contents | Introduction | Ratings | WebCams | Bibliography | Highest Volcanoes | Snowfall & Snowdepth | Monthly Chart | Conifers | Compare | Distance | Sun Chart
CALIFORNIA
  Lassen Peak
  Mount Shasta
  Medicine Lake Volcano
OREGON
  Mount McLoughlin
  Pelican Butte
  Crater Lake
  Mount Bailey
  Mount Thielsen
  Diamond Peak
  Newberry Volcano
  Mount Bachelor
  Broken Top
  Three Sisters
  Mount Washington
  Three Fingered Jack
  Mount Jefferson
  Mount Hood
WASHINGTON
  Mount Saint Helens
  Mount Adams
  Goat Rocks
  Mount Rainier
  Glacier Peak
  Mount Baker
BRITISH COLUMBIA
  Mount Garibaldi
  Mount Cayley
  Mount Meager



| Mount Hood from the southeast in May:
Palmer Snowfield at left, White River Canyon at center,
and Wyeast Face below right of the summit
(photo by Amar Andalkar)   <click to enlarge>

Mount Hood
    11239 ft (3426 m)     Highest point in Oregon .
Location: Cascade Range, northern Oregon,
50 miles (80 km) ESE of Portland
Lat / Long: 45.4° N, 121.7° W
Volcanic Type: Stratovolcano
Volcanic Status: Active (steaming), last eruption 1865
First Ascent: Henry L. Pittock, Prof. L. J. Lowell, William S. Buckley,
W. Lyamn Chittenden, and James G. Deardorff, 1857
First Ski Ascent: Andre Roch, Hjalmar Hvam, and Arne Stene, 1931
First Ski Descent: Sylvain Saudan, 1971 (from true summit)
Skiable Vertical: over 7000 ft (2100 m)
Lift Served Vertical:   3600 ft (1100 m) at Timberline Lodge
2800 ft (850 m) at Mt Hood Meadows
Timberline: 6000-6500 ft (1800-2000 m)
Administration: Mount Hood National Forest
Protection Status:   Mount Hood Wilderness
User Fees: Northwest Forest Pass required for parking
(Sno-Park Permit from November-April)

Mount Hood is the highest peak in Oregon and one of the most frequently climbed glaciated mountains in the world. Its sharp cone dominates the skyline only 45 miles (70 km) east of Portland, and a dozen glaciers keep the peak permanently snowbound. Two major ski areas are found on the south side, and the lifts at Timberline run year-round on the Palmer Glacier (snowfield), fed by nearly 500 inches (12 m) of annual snowfall. Hood is skiable directly from the true summit by several routes, although all of them are quite steep and somewhat exposed. Below the summit area, the slopes moderate greatly and there are numerous excellent possibilities for safe and uncrevassed ski runs.

Route Ratings Starting
Elevation
Elevation
Gain
Roundtrip
Distance
Notes
Quality Effort Ascent Descent
Summit Ski Mountaineering Routes:  
South Side /
  Palmer Glacier

7.5
5900 ft
(1800 m)
5300 ft
(1600 m)
8 miles
(13 km)
The standard South Side route follows the Palmer Glacier above the highest lifts, allowing one to cheat and use the lifts in order to make a quick ascent. The upper portion of the ski descent from the summit used to be considered quite extreme, but recent ablation of the glacier has reduced the risk somewhat, although the large bergschrund (crevasse) is still hazardous in spring. This 45-50 degree pitch drops directly from the highest point into the steaming and sulfurous remains of Hood's crater, and then moderates in slope below the crater as it returns to the top of the lifts.
(See my ski trip report from April 1998.)
Wyeast Face
  from Mt Hood Meadows

8.0
5300 ft
(1600 m)
5900 ft
(1800 m)
9 miles
(14 km)
Route info...
Cooper Spur
7.5
5900 ft
(1800 m)
5300 ft
(1600 m)
8 miles
(12 km)
Route info...
Sunshine Route
7.5
5900 ft
(1800 m)
5300 ft
(1600 m)
10 miles
(16 km)
Route info...
Other Ski Mountaineering Routes:  
Circumnavigation
  near 8500 ft level

8.5
5900 ft
(1800 m)
5500 ft
(1700 m)
12 miles
(20 km)
Route info...
Illumination Saddle
5.0
5900 ft
(1800 m)
3400 ft
(1000 m)
6 miles
(10 km)
Route info...
Zig Zag Glacier /
  Paradise Park

7.5
5900 ft
(1800 m)
5000+ ft
(1500+ m)
10+ miles
(16+ km)
Route info...
White River Canyon
5.0
4200 ft
(1300 m)
3000 ft
(900 m)
8 miles
(13 km)
Route info...
Cooper Spur
  (lower portion)

4.5
5900 ft
(1800 m)
3100 ft
(1000 m)
6 miles
(10 km)
Route info...
Snow Dome
5.5
5900 ft
(1800 m)
3300 ft
(1000 m)
8 miles
(12 km)
Route info...

Upcoming additions: Topographic map showing all ski routes.
Full page description and photos of South Side routes.


| Mount Hood from the northeast, with the Cooper Spur along the left skyline
and the Snow Dome / Sunshine Route below the summit
(photo by Amar Andalkar) <click to enlarge>

Useful Web Links:

Mount Hood National Forest: Home Page
Mount Hood National Forest: Mount Hood General Climbing Info
Mount Hood National Forest: Mount Hood Current Climbing Conditions
National Weather Service Office: Portland, OR
Yahoo! Weather: Timberline Ski Area, OR, Forecast
Timberline Lodge Ski Area
Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory: Mount Hood
Deschutes National Forest: Oregon Volcanoes: Mount Hood


List of Guidebooks:  (detailed references on the bibliography page)

Oregon Descents Many routes (detailed skiing info)
Oregon High All summit routes(detailed climbing info)
Climbing the Cascade Volcanoes All summit routes(climbing info)
Wild Snow South Side(skiing info)
Selected Climbs in the Cascades South Side(climbing info)


More photos, routes, links, references, etc. coming soon...
Please contact me with any suggestions, additions, or corrections.


Previous Page (Mount Jefferson) | Mount Hood | Next Page (Mount Saint Helens)
Table of Contents | Introduction | Ratings | WebCams | Bibliography | Highest Volcanoes | Snowfall & Snowdepth | Monthly Chart | Conifers | Compare | Distance | Sun Chart
Ski Mountaineering Photos & Trip Reports Equipment & Info Cascade Volcanoes Ring of Fire Site Map

Amar Andalkar   Seattle, WA, USA   <About the Author / Contact Me>
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