Mount Hood/Leuthold Couloir

Climb date: May 1, 2015

Our party of three left the Timberline Lodge trailhead at 2:00 a.m. with the goal of being high on the mountain before the sun hit the route. We reached Illumination Saddle at 4:30 a.m., the Queen's Chair at 7:30 a.m., and the summit at 8:30 a.m.

The snow conditions were generally good: firm with a stable crust of neve. There was a steady stream of spindrift and small pellets of ice coming down the couloir. We kept to either side of the couloir to minimize our exposure to the bombardment.

We roped up to cross the Reid glacier and remained roped until the summit. We carried pickets and ice screws but didn't need to use them.