Mount Hood, Hood River

Amazing summer snowboarding! Although the majority of the mountain was exposed volcanic ash, there were a decent amount of trails with slushy/playful snow. Park set-ups were a great playground to practice new tricks and perfect old ones. Never in my life did I think I would get to snowboard in a t-shirt. Incredibly memorable vacation.

Summited Mt. Hood with two friends on July 24, 2022 up the Old Chute Route. It was a challenging and rewarding experience! We got to the Timberline Lodge around 7PM on 7/23 and got our wilderness passes from the Wy’East Lodge. Make sure you bring headlamps, trekking poles, an ice axe and crampons! You will likely need all of those things to reach the top. We slept in a van in the parking lot until 2AM. Once we woke up, we made some instant coffee and headed to the mountain. We hiked for about 2 hours until we reached a place where our boots were slipping in the snow. That’s where we put on crampons. We used crampons for pretty much the rest of the climb. We reached the summit of Old Chute around 6:45AM. Once we made it to the top, we ate a quick snack and took some pictures. Then, we started the descent. We got back to the van around 12PM. All told, we were on the mountain for about 10 hours. It was a fantastic time, and quite challenging! If you’re planning on summiting, make sure you do some research beforehand. We rented mountaineering boots, crampons, ice axes and helmets from “The Mountain Shop” in Portland. This is definitely a climb where you want the right kind of gear.

Mt hood is by the Columbia River which separates Washington State from Oregon. There is snow at its peak 365 days a year and it’s huge!

Amazing hike and beautiful views of the valley. Real feel of mother nature!!!

Worth the rental car expense and drive from Portland. Beautiful water falls nearby and easy trails for up close views of Mt Hood, beautiful lake with trail.