Trip Report
Mount Hood/South Side
Spring-like conditions in the middle of January.
Martin Fisher
- Mon, Jan 19, 2026
- Mount Hood/South Side
- Climbing
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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- Fairly icy straight from the parking lot, but you can get away without putting crampons on until just before the Palmer lift when things get consistently steeper.
- There’s probably a bit of difference in conditions between the trip reports from early last week and from this weekend until the next storm cycle. We found the snow from Devil’s Kitchen to still be very hard and icy until we topped out around 11 am. Warming took place very quickly and halfway down to Devil’s Kitchen (around 12) the snow went soft.
- That said, the snow took very well to two tools. An ice axe with a non-aggressive pick is not going to do all that much for you and a straight axe is going to make your knuckles regret that choice.
- We found that a party of four was the upper limit of group size for this time on the mountain. The chutes are so narrow and full of rime ice that icefall is a significant and ever-present concern. A larger party would clog up a chute and send a lot of icefall down onto other climbers.
- There isn’t really a Hogsback (hopefully only for now), so the Pearly Gates were out.
On Sunday Sara, Kerri, Jules, and I climbed Mt Hood via One o’Clock Couloir, which is a variation up the Old Chute. We started around 3.30 am with not much sleep and, in Sara’s and my case, some tiredness in our legs from a scramble/post-hole fest up Mt Ararat the day prior.
Sara and I had climbed Mt Hood multiple times before, but this was Kerri’s and Jules’ first time up Mt Hood. We all climbed together previously on Mt Daniel last summer, so this was a reunion of sorts.
There’s a groomed track from the parking lot (6000’) up to the top of the Palmer ski lift at (around 8500’). It’s a great place to stop and break and shed layers. Above that and you’re on the Triangle Moraine all the way to the next feature, Devil’s Kitchen.
After another break in Devil’s Kitchen we headed out to the technical bit of the climb: Old Chute/One o’Clock Couloir. Strangely, there is no Hogsback this year (something that is notable enough that everyone who I have heard from who has commented on it has never not seen it present), so we took the low traverse across the Hot Rocks.
The snow above the Hot Rocks, like it had been since the parking lot, was very firm and icy. We rotated kicking in a boot pack all the way to nearly the top of the couloir, when we switched to front pointing to mitigate risk from ice fall and other climbers. I estimated it took 8 kicks or so to put in each step, which was improved by the following climbers—such were the snow conditions.
Kerri topping out of One o’clock Couloir!
For what it’s worth: looking up at the Old Chute you’ll see three chutes. To the left is Old Chute, in the middle is One o’Clock Couloir, and to the right is Two o’Clock Couloir; the latter two separate very high up before the summit ridge and skip the catwalk, which you take to gain the summit when you go up Old Chute. Be communicative with other teams who’s moving where and when as the chutes really only allow for one direction at a time, unless you’re really close friends! We gave respect and patience (and a little humor!) on the mountain and got the same in return :)
After a quick break on the summit we started our downclimb, which I think took about 45 minutes to get back to the Hot Rocks.
After hitting Devil’s Kitchen, it’s a 4000 foot descent to the cars, which you can sadly see the whole time and which creates the illusion that you’re getting closer when you’re really not!
We were all feeling pretty beat, but our spirits lifted once we realized that the groomed track starting at Palmer could be glissaded. I’d estimate we went down the route by glissading around 75% of the time. Huzzah!
We were all elated to have a safe and successful climb and summit. I love ending climbs with everyone chatting and in good spirits and we had that in spades. It was also kind of neat to have a Mountaineers’ mentoring family tree (of sorts) going on: Kerri mentored me for a glacier climb lead, Jules was my mentee, and Sara has provided tons of mentorship to me and Kerri, and now to Jules.