[pct-l] MT Hood and North - LOCAL????

[dude at fastmail.ca (dude)]

although I agree that roping up is generally a good idea and that it 
can frequently be safer than not, it is also true that roping up can be 
less safe.  For example, the disaster on Mt Hood last year would not 
have been as severe if the three teams involved had no used ropes.  The 
lower two teams were climbing in the fall line of the top team (also 
not safe).  When the top team fell, no one on the team could manage to 
self-arrest.  Gaining speed rapidly, they slammed into the second team 
and became one huge cluster of tumbling and sliding people and 
equipment that nothing could stop.  Then they hit the thrid team and 
the situation just got worse.  All three teams ended up in a crevasse.

I guess it depends on how confident you are with your axe.  If you know 
that you can stop yourself, then roping up would only be a benefit to 
people on your rope who are not as confident, and it would increase 
your chances of getting stuck in a situation where you couldn't arrest 
and stop the whole rope team by yourself.

Its entirely true that traveling in a rope team can and does prevent 
people from falling into crevasses.  I was stopped from falling into a 
crevasse on Mt Shasta because I was on a rope team.  However, even 
though I have not climbed Hood, I cannot see how this type of accident 
would be a very high riske because there is a huge single file line of 
dozens and dozens of people walking up the glacier and if there was a 
weak snowbridge, it would break on one of the 85 people that went in 
front of you.  Of course, a snowbridge could give way at any moment, 
including on the 86th person, but that is how I'd approach it.  I spoke 
with two climbing teams last weekend  on Hood after they had already 
summited, and niether one roped up.

DEFINITELY do not climb Hood solo if its your first Alpine climb or 
first experience on glacier.  All I am saying is that an experienced 
climber would be able to solo.  It doesn't mean that he *will* summit; 
his exoerience may tell him to turn back because conditions are not 
ideal, but its certainly possible

peace,
dude



> Respectfully, I must disagree regarding ropes. One can climb safely at
> least as far as the top of the ski lift without roping up. Above that
> point, there are several crevasses on the glacier, many hidden under
> snow. Both the Mazamas and Ptarmigans mountainieering groups routine
> rope up from there on up. Falling through a snow bridge into a
> crevasse - visible or hidden beforehand - can be life-threatening.
> Being on a rope team can prevent a sudden stop against solid ice, and
> you're most unlikely to get out of the crevass alone without rope.
> That rope is useless if it is still coiled in the rope bag on your
> pack, down in the crevass with you.
> 
> Err on the side of caution:
> Rope up in 3 or 4 man teams.
> Never climb alone
> Sign the climbers' ledger in the lodge when you leave & return.
> Record the posted compass bearing back to the lodge. White-outs happen
> and following the natural fall of the slope will take you AWAY from
> the lodge and into a deep side canyon.
> Rent a transponder at Timberline Lodge and carry it up with you so SAR
> teams can find you if the worst happens.
> 
> Wandering Bob
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "dude" <dude@fastmail.ca>
> To: <trackus@teleport.com>
> Cc: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
> Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2004 1:02 PM
> Subject: RE: [pct-l] MT Hood and North - LOCAL????
> 
> 
>> Although I would agree entirely that Mt Hood is a mountain that
>> deserves and requires enormous respect and good mountaineering
>> skills, I would not say that rope is essential, or at least it would
>> not *require* roping up with a team (you may want to carry rope as a
>> precaution).
>> 
>> I was just skiing on Mt. Hood on July 10th (one week ago), and there
>> were hundreds of climbers making the ascent to the summit.  I stopped
>> and spoke with some of them at Timberline Lodge for a few minutes.
>> None of them roped up, but they all wore crampons (and obviously
>> carried an ice axe).
>> 
>> There is a sign in the parking lot of Timberline lodge that directs
>> climbers to a trail that starts the climb.  Once you hit about 8000'
>> you will be on snow and then glacier firther up the hill.  Although
>> there is not a "trail", per se, I cannot immagine that there would
>> not be a very pronounced rut in the snow where the hundreds of
>> climbers trek up the hill single file.  I have not actually summited
>> Mt. Hood, but I saw the line of climbers from the top of the chair
>> lifts and cannot see how this could not be the case.
>> 
>> I did also learn from discussing with the climbers at Timberline
>> Lodge that there is a significant bergschrund that takes some
>> mountaineering skills to negotiate, but they didnt use any ropes and
>> instead just hiked around to the edge where there was a snow bridge.
>> 
> 
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