Mt. Hood is 11,240 ft. in elevation, a dormant volcano, and has 11 glaciers. The peak is part of the Mt. Hood Wilderness. Mt. Hood attracts more than 10,000 climbers a year.
- Climb mid-week for reduced crowds.
- Mt. Hood is a technical climb and requires planning. If you are new to climbing, please consider a guided climb.
- Find more Mt. Hood climbing questions from the Mazamas.
- Watch the video below for some tips.
Climbing Report, 6/3/21:
Expect cooler weather, some precipitation, and potentially firm snow conditions through Monday. The bergschrund on the Hogsback is fully exposed, causing parties to consider routes other than the Pearly Gates. When climbing in potentially congested areas like Old Chute, remember to give parties ample space to prevent injury from rock or climber fall.
WEATHER NOTES: This week showed a series of very warm days and light winds. There will be a cooling trend through the weekend with snow levels possibly below 5,000’ and light to moderate precipitation. Expect moderate breezy winds to accompany this potential precipitation and colder weather.
SNOW CONDITIONS: The upper mountain likely had multiple nights of minimal to no refreeze in the past week. With a predicted cooling trend through the weekend, expect an increasingly firm snow surface especially at upper elevations of the mountain. There is a possibility of a couple inches of snow by Monday.
MOUNTAIN HAZARDS. Many hazards can exist on Mt. Hood. Some of these include:
Long, sliding falls: Relatively cold temperatures should result in minimal softening of refrozen snow this weekend. Refrozen snow conditions allow long, sliding falls that are difficult or impossible to arrest and have resulted in many fatalities. Consider the consequence of such a fall in any terrain you consider climbing or descending.
Rockfall: Snow melt continues to expose an increasing amount of loose rock on the upper mountain. This makes more and more rock available to fall. Sun and warm temperatures tend to cause rockfall, as the ice that holds loose rock together melts.
Icefall: Ice accumulations exist on the upper mountain. Large and small chunks of ice are similarly capable of falling and either can cause serious to fatal injury. Remember that sun and warming increases the likelihood of both rockfall and icefall.
Glacial features: Crevasses and other glacial features are increasingly open and visible, including openings in the bergschrund adjacent to the upper Hogsback. Mount Hood is heavily glaciated. These glacial hazards can be found on many climbing routes and may be thinly bridged by snow
Glissading: Glissading has its time and place but also results in many accidents on Cascade volcanoes. Be sure the snow is sufficiently soft to allow speed control and assess the consequence of a sliding fall in your terrain if considering a glissade. Remove crampons to avoid potential serious lower leg injury.
Avalanches: Snowpack conditions and stability can change rapidly in spring and early summer. Your ability to identify avalanche terrain and assess snowpack stability, along with your beacon, probe, and shovel, are often crucial for reasonably safe travel on Mt. Hood. The NWAC avalanche forecast season has ended.
