Mt. Hood: folks need to climb safer

[cluck]

Hey gang - I hate to be the one to give a lecture but based on some of the sloppy (and downright dangerous) techniques I've seen on the mountain this year it's time for a candid chat.

We all know that the South Side of Hood in May and June is a zoo. But this year the blatant disregard for safety and climbing fundamentals has me pretty upset. There have already been several accidents and many close calls - folks tripping over rope coils, traversing needlessly underneath calving rime-covered cliffs, crossing rope teams, etc.

So here are a couple of basic (fundamental) concepts we should already know... but a little refresher never hurts:

1. Don't spend time underneath cliffs or in the line of fire of icefall or avalanches. The safest way to reach the old chute is NOT by climbing the Hogsback up to the bergshrund and traversing over. That exposes you to icefall off the cliffs. Instead, go over the Hogsback saddle, down into Hot Rocks, and up to the chute. The exposure here is MUCH LESS. This seems like a no-brainer but scores of folks continue to roll the dice by traversing under that cliff every weekend.

2. Learn how to hold your damn ice axe. Learn what self arrest position is and how to walk 'in balance.' Plant that thing firmly in the snow EVERY STEP. That way, if you slip you've already got a solid handrail in place. Here's a reasonably good video on how to use your axe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM3xLshmNnk

3. Understand the pros & cons of roping up and how to do it correctly. Roping up to guard against crevasse falls requires quite a bit of space between each climber. Roping up to protect steep snow requires placing protection. Roping up to protect a weaker climber requires specialized short-roping technique. Understand why you are roping up and do it correctly. Or, don't rope up at all. After all, the current climbing route (Old Chute) doesn't have much crevasse fall exposure.


Please take this in the spirit in which it is intended. I'm not trying to look down my nose at anyone, merely trying to raise the level of safety for everyone and hopefully avoid an accident or two. Likely the real problem folks don't even know this site exists and will never read this, but hopefully the folks who do read this will take an interest in improving things on Mount Hood. If you see someone doing something dangerous, call them out. Let's hold each other accountable for climbing safely and responsibly.

Cheers!

[billisfree]

There are pros and cons here.

Climbing up the hogsback... lessens the time exposed to hazards. Any falling rocks will be deflected aside while you are on the hogsback. Once the slow upward climb is done, the slope can be transversed fairly quickly with minimum amount of time exposed to danger. One can even pause next to two large exposed outcroppings for some protection.

Going down to hotrocks and climbing back up... is not hazard free. Due to the diagonal nature of the route above, ice can still fall and there is no protection in the open area.

Once past the "hogsback rockfall area", both routes are STILL exposed to falling ice.

Some claim that the hogsback route is safer, "because the projectiles fall at less speed".
Duh?

Going down, I would DEFINITELY beat it quickly to the very safe hogsback area because going downhill on 40-degree slope is dangerous and slow.

To each his own.

[tazz]

[dskoon]

Yep, coming to that same conclusion myself. That is, heading low to Hot rocks and avoiding the traverse. When I, a newb, did it with a guide almost a month ago, we went down low and I questioned him on this, "yeah, but so many people are taking the traverse. . " etc. He pointed out the number of people on the traverse, (more hazardous right there, especially give their long rope sections), the conditions and angle of the traverse being a little harder to stop a fall(we were on a short rope), as well as the already mentioned ice-fall hazard, which also was coming down into the Hot rocks area.
I've been up there again since, on my own, and can easily see the logic and safety in going lower, if nothing more than to avoid large rope teams in the traverse. . .
And, I agree with Clucks' great post.
A newbs two cents.

[cluck]

Yes - the Hogsback definitely is quite safe from ice fall. However, as you mentioned the traverse from the Hogsback over to the Old Chute is quite exposed. It also crosses a crevasse. As you said, you can mitigage your exposure somewhat by climbing quickly and hiding behind rock outcroppings, but most teams I see up there don't do these things. They linger, rest, and get shelled by large rocks & ice.

In contrast, the option of going down to hot rocks does not expose you to crevasse fall and greatly lessens the exposure to rock & ice fall. Sure, some rocks/ice make it all the way to hot rocks, but they have usually broken up in to smaller pieces by the time they get down that far and are going slower & lower to the ground. Additionally, one can easily travel across the relatively safe, flat terrain and get lined up with the Old Chute - then climb straight up & down rather than having to negotiate a traverse.

I have spent many hours up there evacuating injured climbers and retrieving the bodies of those not so lucky and I can definitely say that Hot Rocks is a safer place to spend your time then on the slope under those cliffs.

Bill clearly has a grasp of the pros & cons involved here, but I'm trying to preach to the less-informed climbers on the mountain. I'm trying to set 'no-brainer' guidelines that the lowest common denominator can follow and lessen some of the hazards. If newbs see everyone heading down to Hot Rocks then maybe they will follow the herd and be a little safer (even if they don't realize it).

Great discussion, guys. Thanks!

[billisfree]

You prob have more experience than me.

I'm a newbie... I've been up twice this year, into to the crater five times and never seen any accidents yet.

All the guides and climbing schools are using the hogsback-transverse route.

I'm sure this is going to be a controversal issue.

The self-arrest video is of interest because the demo is for deep wet snow. What does on do when they slip on a 60-degree slope where you pick up falling speed very fast? What does one do when the snow top is semi-frozen and you have to be LUCKY to hit a good spot to dig your ice axe in? When I was up there this year - it was clear - self arrest IMMEDIATELLY or not at all. Once you pick up speed there was little hope of getting a good spot to puncture into the ice layer atop the soft snow.

Clearly the ice axe gives you a better chance than no chance at all.

The four big rules 1) Don't fall - EVER.
2) Don't climb in the hogsback area during thawing conditions.
3) Don't climb on icy slopes where crampons and/or ice axes don't work.
4) Don't climb in avalance conditions.

After the above four - the route you take is of minor importance.

[jschrock]

[dskoon]

Billisfree wrote:
All the guides and climbing schools are using the hogsback-transverse route.

Wrong about that. As stated, I went up with Timberline Mountain Guides almost a month ago, and we, along with other guides, avoided the traverse in favor of going down to the Hot Rocks. Saw this same pattern two weeks ago when I was up there.

[tkoooooooooo]

the problem is that the idiots who do stupid things on hood probably don't tend to look up forums on mountaineering sites. Not 100% true I guess. Sometimes I do retarded things on mountains, but I still show up on summitpost.

[billisfree]

How do I get RID of this double post?

[billisfree]

I guess we can add mountain climbing opinions to Sex, Politics, Religion and "right foods to eat" to the list of banned topics. Everybody has their own very strong opinions of the "right thing to do".

[tazz]

most 24 yr olds do stupid things!

Bill it is not about opinions! It is about experience. Cluck has it! Lots of it! If you had an accident up there it might have been him to get your ass down safe!

[billisfree]

No offense taken from your comments - at all. All very informative to me.

For mine and everyone's else's information - allow me to tap your experience, where have most of the rockfalls occured?

Precisely, where have most of the accidents occured?

What percent are caused by rockfalls. What precent are caused by a climber's slip? What percent are caused by climbing on snow too hard for crampons and ice axes? Avalances?

When the Pearly Gates was navigatable... which was safer, Pearly Gates or Hot Rocks?

All eyes and ears what you have to say.

Thanks!

[RickandRhonda]

I've been up there twice this year (haven't reached the summit either time- yet) and I've seen my fair share of idiocy up there. I don't have nearly the experience you folks have, but I have common sense as well as intermediate alpine and glacier knowledge. Sometimes, the idiocy is painful to see.

[twoshuzz]

Cluck, Great post.

The zoo which comes with every spring on Hood is exactly why I limit my SS activities to winter only. There are funner routes on other aspects of the mountain that offer both better snow conditions and far less people.

The only point(s) I would add to Cluck's comments are these: For many reasons, the SS of Hood is a springtime mecca for beginner and somewhat intermediate climbers. The population is evergrowing. In the past, there were two common routes frequented by said climbers. The PG and the OC. With the HB shifting W. and the contour changes in both the enterance to; and the PG themselves, this has left the OC the route of choice for the majority of these climbers. This includes companies offering guided services. We now face a much greater concentration of climbers funneling into the OC which significantly adds to the objective danger.

Cluck is correct in his assessment of dropping in low on the HB rather than taking the high traverse. The margin of safety from ice/rock fall is much greater than attempting to hide under the rime covered features on the high traverse which are the very source of those dangers. Also, the mentioning of fundamental axe and footwork is spot on, as well as the mentioning of rope techniques. Pro, belay, coiling in and clipping on a shorty are all well used techniques requiring some thought on which suits your group needs at the time and are all a part of fundamental development.

So take Cluck's post for what it is worth rather than insult. Being one with dozens of ascents of Hood from every side of the mt. from several routes, I too have spent my share of time assisting those in need in many ways. His post is just another aid to help those achieve their goals and make it safely off the mt.