Turned back due to high winds approx 1000 feet above Sunrise Camp(8300 ft). Great trip anyway. Had the camp all to ourselves for most of the week end. We had a large party(11), as this was a fund raising climb for breast cancer research (FHCRC, the "Hutch" in Seattle). Avoid South Spur and its crowds.....climb the Mazama instead.
Michael71 - Aug 27, 2008 10:43 am Date Climbed: Aug 15, 2008
long but nice climb
started at cold springs at 4:10 am, reached the summit at 12:30, took me longer than estimated; hardest part is the snowfield below the false summit, that almost got me; no real need for crampons but could be different in other conditions; glissading was hardly possible anymore in the afternoon;
met a lot of nice people up there;
take care when going down if you glissade down the Crescent glacier, there was a large open crevasse there, but almost no one seemed to mind but me; I missed the right way down the Crescent ridge and (just as warned on the Climbing Report page) got lost on my way down, meaning having to go back another 300m up which finished me;
nevertheless a great trip, best done in my view in one day, beautiful mountain and scenery with Hood, St. Helens and Rainier
oso1212 - Aug 9, 2008 12:31 am Date Climbed: Aug 2, 2008
First Cascade Mountain
South Spur day trip. Left car at 0630, summitted at 1400, back to car at 1730. Great trip.
Levi - Aug 7, 2008 1:10 am Date Climbed: Aug 6, 2008
Back for the Summit
Camped at the Lunch Counter and started the next morning at 5. Made the summit at 9. The smoke and haze cut down on the view. Rainier, St. Helens and Hood were all visible from the summit but no further. After failing last year it was great to reach the summit.
whaynal - Jul 31, 2008 1:32 am Date Climbed: Jul 5, 2008
Mazama
Left from the South Spur TH and then generally followed the Around-The-Mountain trail to the base of the Mazama Glacier, where we camped. The next morning we roped up (it was my first time on a big glacier--quite exciting) and made the summit in the early afternoon.
Snow from just above the TH. Lots of melted out tent sites and running water available at Lunch Counter. Visibility was limited on the 6th due to California forest fire smoke.
Made a 5am start from Lunch Counter with crampons. Smoke had blown away and the view was excellent once the sun came up. Reached the summit shortly after 10. Wind at Pikers Peak was 25 to 30 and on the summit, 40+. It took us 3 hours to climb to Pikers Peak and 20 minutes to glissade back down.
Finished off with a great meal at KJ's Bear Creek Cafe in Trout Lake.
marauders - Jul 5, 2008 12:29 am Date Climbed: Jul 1, 2008
South Spur
Wanted to climb the Mazama Glacier, but the road to the trailhead was still blocked by snow 3.5 miles out from the trailhead. Adding that additional 7 miles round trip to the route was simply out of our league for a single push on the route. The forest service was simply waiting for the snow to melt with no plans to clear the road, so we went up there and in 4 hours cleared the snow and trees from the road, it was awesome! It turned out a youth survival group had just had a team member blow out his knee and was immobile at the trailhead. We arrived in our cars, and they were dumbfounded and emotional to realize they weren't going to have to carry him all the way down the mountain road. Great experience.
We didn't have the strength to do a single push for the Mazama Glacier route any longer, so we did a single push on the South Spur. The terrain is simple and easy, and not quite the Cascade experience we wanted, but hey the mountain was beautiful and we summited, plus the glissades are fun. We'll be back again someday.
dannotti - Jun 16, 2008 12:18 am Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2007
Great Climb
Climbed via Mazama glacier. Great weather and views past Rainer. Great base camp at base of the Mazama glacier
Jordan11 - May 28, 2008 11:09 pm Date Climbed: Jun 17, 2007
South Spur
Great work out, but awfully long for one day. We passed many people who had opted to not wear crampons. I would recommend them. Fantastic glissade off the top.
peakrat76 - Apr 23, 2008 2:27 pm Date Climbed: Aug 14, 1977
South Spur
Nice climb. Beautiful high camp. Not difficult at all.
BKW - Apr 4, 2008 6:53 pm Date Climbed: Aug 9, 2007
South Spur
Good climb, good times. Forgot gloves. The glissade chute was about 7 feet deep off of the false summit.
Craig Nielsen - Mar 29, 2008 10:37 pm Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2007
Went with a couple friends. Progress was so fast we just dumped the camping gear halfway up and tagged the summit. Wish I knew how to ski back then.
dswink - Mar 10, 2008 2:46 am Date Climbed: Jul 4, 2007
South Spur on the Fourth
Pleasant climb. Found a poor tiny mouse on the summit. He must have hitchhiked up in a pack.
ZachLuchsinger - Mar 6, 2008 9:34 pm Date Climbed: Sep 2, 2006
Awesome Mt.
This was an awesome hike. When we hiked there was still lots of snow, and we were constantly taking our cramp-ons off and on again. That really slowed us down. But the view from the top is worth it ten fold.
RyanTaro76 - Mar 5, 2008 2:19 pm Date Climbed: Aug 3, 1998
From Cold Springs TH
This is my tallest cascade summit. It got warm, there were tons of people, one of whom dislodged a boulder which shot down the fall line near Pikers Peak. Summit view was awesome, and Im glad the drive to Cold Springs was done in a rental car. It was a creek bed more than a road. As it should be.
EastKing - Sep 11, 2008 11:08 am Date Climbed: Sep 10, 2008
South SpurLong day but six volcano views. not much glissading but I didn't care because the six volcano views made it more than worthwhile.
BCJ - Sep 2, 2008 4:42 am Date Climbed: Jun 10, 2006
Standard routeGood conditions, but icy from the Lunch Counter to Piker's Peak.
CORDILLERAORIENTAL - Aug 28, 2008 8:25 pm Date Climbed: Jul 30, 2006
MAZAMA GLACIERTurned back due to high winds approx 1000 feet above Sunrise Camp(8300 ft). Great trip anyway. Had the camp all to ourselves for most of the week end. We had a large party(11), as this was a fund raising climb for breast cancer research (FHCRC, the "Hutch" in Seattle). Avoid South Spur and its crowds.....climb the Mazama instead.
Michael71 - Aug 27, 2008 10:43 am Date Climbed: Aug 15, 2008
long but nice climbstarted at cold springs at 4:10 am, reached the summit at 12:30, took me longer than estimated; hardest part is the snowfield below the false summit, that almost got me; no real need for crampons but could be different in other conditions; glissading was hardly possible anymore in the afternoon;
met a lot of nice people up there;
take care when going down if you glissade down the Crescent glacier, there was a large open crevasse there, but almost no one seemed to mind but me; I missed the right way down the Crescent ridge and (just as warned on the Climbing Report page) got lost on my way down, meaning having to go back another 300m up which finished me;
nevertheless a great trip, best done in my view in one day, beautiful mountain and scenery with Hood, St. Helens and Rainier
oso1212 - Aug 9, 2008 12:31 am Date Climbed: Aug 2, 2008
First Cascade MountainSouth Spur day trip. Left car at 0630, summitted at 1400, back to car at 1730. Great trip.
Levi - Aug 7, 2008 1:10 am Date Climbed: Aug 6, 2008
Back for the SummitCamped at the Lunch Counter and started the next morning at 5. Made the summit at 9. The smoke and haze cut down on the view. Rainier, St. Helens and Hood were all visible from the summit but no further. After failing last year it was great to reach the summit.
whaynal - Jul 31, 2008 1:32 am Date Climbed: Jul 5, 2008
MazamaLeft from the South Spur TH and then generally followed the Around-The-Mountain trail to the base of the Mazama Glacier, where we camped. The next morning we roped up (it was my first time on a big glacier--quite exciting) and made the summit in the early afternoon.
Sierra Ledge Rat - Jul 18, 2008 12:48 am
1987: N RidgeClimbed the N Ridge in a whiteout
supermarmot - Jul 15, 2008 1:29 am Date Climbed: Jul 13, 2008
FIRE!!!skied to the summit and then barely made it out due to the rapidly growing cold springs fire. exciting!
Dundeel - Jul 8, 2008 3:20 pm Date Climbed: Jul 7, 2008
South ClimbSnow from just above the TH. Lots of melted out tent sites and running water available at Lunch Counter. Visibility was limited on the 6th due to California forest fire smoke.
Made a 5am start from Lunch Counter with crampons. Smoke had blown away and the view was excellent once the sun came up. Reached the summit shortly after 10. Wind at Pikers Peak was 25 to 30 and on the summit, 40+. It took us 3 hours to climb to Pikers Peak and 20 minutes to glissade back down.
Finished off with a great meal at KJ's Bear Creek Cafe in Trout Lake.
marauders - Jul 5, 2008 12:29 am Date Climbed: Jul 1, 2008
South SpurWanted to climb the Mazama Glacier, but the road to the trailhead was still blocked by snow 3.5 miles out from the trailhead. Adding that additional 7 miles round trip to the route was simply out of our league for a single push on the route. The forest service was simply waiting for the snow to melt with no plans to clear the road, so we went up there and in 4 hours cleared the snow and trees from the road, it was awesome! It turned out a youth survival group had just had a team member blow out his knee and was immobile at the trailhead. We arrived in our cars, and they were dumbfounded and emotional to realize they weren't going to have to carry him all the way down the mountain road. Great experience.
We didn't have the strength to do a single push for the Mazama Glacier route any longer, so we did a single push on the South Spur. The terrain is simple and easy, and not quite the Cascade experience we wanted, but hey the mountain was beautiful and we summited, plus the glissades are fun. We'll be back again someday.
dannotti - Jun 16, 2008 12:18 am Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2007
Great ClimbClimbed via Mazama glacier. Great weather and views past Rainer. Great base camp at base of the Mazama glacier
Jordan11 - May 28, 2008 11:09 pm Date Climbed: Jun 17, 2007
South SpurGreat work out, but awfully long for one day. We passed many people who had opted to not wear crampons. I would recommend them. Fantastic glissade off the top.
peakrat76 - Apr 23, 2008 2:27 pm Date Climbed: Aug 14, 1977
South SpurNice climb. Beautiful high camp. Not difficult at all.
BKW - Apr 4, 2008 6:53 pm Date Climbed: Aug 9, 2007
South SpurGood climb, good times. Forgot gloves. The glissade chute was about 7 feet deep off of the false summit.
Craig Nielsen - Mar 29, 2008 10:37 pm Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2007
South SpurOvernight Solo -sweet climb.
snowflake - Mar 21, 2008 3:56 pm
South SpurWent with a couple friends. Progress was so fast we just dumped the camping gear halfway up and tagged the summit. Wish I knew how to ski back then.
dswink - Mar 10, 2008 2:46 am Date Climbed: Jul 4, 2007
South Spur on the FourthPleasant climb. Found a poor tiny mouse on the summit. He must have hitchhiked up in a pack.
ZachLuchsinger - Mar 6, 2008 9:34 pm Date Climbed: Sep 2, 2006
Awesome Mt.This was an awesome hike. When we hiked there was still lots of snow, and we were constantly taking our cramp-ons off and on again. That really slowed us down. But the view from the top is worth it ten fold.
RyanTaro76 - Mar 5, 2008 2:19 pm Date Climbed: Aug 3, 1998
From Cold Springs THThis is my tallest cascade summit. It got warm, there were tons of people, one of whom dislodged a boulder which shot down the fall line near Pikers Peak. Summit view was awesome, and Im glad the drive to Cold Springs was done in a rental car. It was a creek bed more than a road. As it should be.