SummitPost.org

Well, I am planning on climbing Hood again this year after taking a break in 2011 from mountaineering. I have climbed Hood about 10 times in the last decade and usually start my season with a test run to the top. However, I never want to walk back down that mountain again. So in 2009 I started carrying my skis to the top of Triangle Morain and skiing down from there. But as I was not up there last year or at all this year, I was wondering...

A) How are the conditions this year? Anything unusual? Are the Pearly Gates open or are we using the West Crater variation?
B) Have any of you guys skied all the way down from the summit? Am I crazy for thinking about it?

Thanks for any beta on the South Side conditions!

Last few times I climbed Hood the Pearly Gates were icy and folks were rapping off via V-threads or walking down skier's right. I think it would be reasonable to ski off the top of the Western descent if there is not a conga line of climbers coming up or down. The Pearly Gates seemed to me a dangerous descent on skis - often icy, congested, narrow, and with a bergschrund at the bottom.

I was hoping to hear the West Crater Variation was wide open because I agree with you guys, I would not consider skiing the Pearly Gates. No way and not that kind of skier.

If anyone else has current beta about the mountain above or around Crater Rock and the Hogsback, I'd love to hear it.

I haven't been up this year, but the Western descent is something even I would ski in good conditions. The traverse to the true summit is narrow and I wouldn't want to do it on skis for fear of tipping over either the north or south faces.

I don't ski, but if I did, I'd definitely be doing a Wy'East descent to Meadows at some point. You'd definitely need good visibility for descent, or routefinding would be a bitch, but man... what an awesome ride that'd be.