GUNUNG · United States

Mount Hood

Information

Elevation: 3.425 m
Country: United States (US)
Location / Range: Cascade Range (Cascade Volcanic Arc)
Mountain type: Volcano (stratovolcano)
Volcanic?: Yes — volcano
Coordinates: 45.3736, -121.6958
Difficulty: Strenuous (glacier mountaineering)
Best Season: Mid-May–early July (snow still firm, lower rockfall risk)
Permits & Rules: A free (self-issue) Wilderness Permit must be filled out in the Mount Hood Wilderness; climbers above Timberline are advised to sign the climber's register. Parking at Timberline requires a Sno-Park permit in winter.
Hazards: Rockfall and icefall around the Pearly Gates/Old Chute during the day, toxic gas fumaroles at Devil's Kitchen, crevasses, a bergschrund below the summit, and sudden storms. Slips on hard snow slopes are the most common cause of death.

Description

Mount Hood (3,425 m) is the highest peak in Oregon and the most-climbed mountain in the Cascade Range, with thousands of summit attempts each year. This dormant stratovolcano carries roughly a dozen glaciers and forms the iconic backdrop of Timberline Lodge. Its most popular route, the South Side, leaves Timberline Lodge (1,800 m) along the edge of the Palmer Glacier, past Crater Rock and the Devil's Kitchen fumarole field to the narrow Hogsback ridge, then up the steep Pearly Gates chute or its Old Chute variation to the summit. Because rock- and ice-fall hazard rises through the day, climbers usually start around midnight to be back down before noon, carrying crampons, ice axe and helmet.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

South Side (Hogsback & Pearly Gates)

Berat (alpine; salju curam s/d ~40°, butuh crampon & kapak es)

+1620 m 8–12 jam pulang-pergi dari Timberline Lodge

Rute terpopuler dan paling sedikit teknis ke puncak. Dari Timberline Lodge (1.800 m) pendaki menyusuri tepi Palmer Glacier, melewati Crater Rock dan fumarol Devil's Kitchen menuju punggungan Hogsback, lalu menembus Pearly Gates—chute berbentuk Y dengan kemiringan tersteep 30–40° dan risiko jatuhan batu/es. Start tengah malam dianjurkan agar keluar dari zona rockfall sebelum siang.

Source

South Side — Old Chute Variation

Berat (alpine; salju/es curam, butuh crampon & kapak es)

+1620 m Sekitar 7–9 jam pulang-pergi dari Timberline

Varian South Side yang kini paling sering dipakai, terutama saat Pearly Gates kurang bersalju. Dari Hogsback pendaki menyeberang lalu menanjak lurus pada chute curam yang menembus ke titik datar sekitar 45 m dari puncak. Old Chute menawarkan jalur dengan resistansi paling kecil namun tetap terekspos bahaya batu/es dari atas; antrean sering terjadi di akhir pekan.

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Safety Statistics

Moderate risk

Aggregated for prevention and awareness — not a casualty list. Read alongside the safety tips below.

Indicative — small sample size.

130 Recorded deaths

Period 1896–2002 · More than 130 recorded deaths from the first fatal climb in 1896 through 2002 (records kept since the late 19th century). About 10,000 people attempt the climb each year (as of 2007), so per-climb risk is low-to-moderate even though the absolute toll is among the highest in the US. A per-climb fatality rate is not computed because the sources do not provide a numerator and denominator for the same period — deriving one would mislead.

Causes of death

Fall

💡 Use a rope and master self-arrest technique; avoid soloing steep ice slopes such as the Pearly Gates.
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Exposure / hypothermia

💡 Watch the forecast and be willing to turn back in a storm — hypothermia killed nine climbers in the 1986 disaster.
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Icefall / serac

💡 On crowded routes (Hogsback/Pearly Gates), many accidents are triggered by ice knocked loose by other climbers — space teams out and always wear a helmet.
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Other

💡 Steer clear of the volcanic fumaroles around Devil's Kitchen — toxic gases and hidden melt holes can be fatal.
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Crevasse fall

💡 Beware snow bridges over glacier crevasses near the crater; move in a roped team and know crevasse rescue.
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Notable incidents

1896 First recorded climbing death on Mount Hood

In July 1896 a climber ascended without a guide and fell during an avalanche on the Newton Clark Glacier on the mountain's east side — the first recorded climbing death. The lesson: Hood's glaciated terrain demands a guide/partner and route knowledge.
Source
1986 Oregon Episcopal School storm tragedy (9 dead)

On 12–14 May 1986, seven students and two staff from a school froze to death after being trapped by a storm on their annual climb; three survivors suffered severe hypothermia. It remains Hood's deadliest incident and a classic case study on turnaround decisions and mountain-storm hazard.
Source
2002 2002 crevasse fall (3 dead)

On 30 May 2002, three climbers were killed and four injured after a roped team fell into a crevasse; a rescue helicopter also crashed during the evacuation. It underscores the risk of chain falls on roped teams and glacier-crevasse hazard near the crater.
Source

Statistics source: Source Source

Climbing Experiences

Mount Hood (3,425 m) is almost always climbed via the South Side route from Timberline Lodge: up the edge of the Palmer Glacier past Crater Rock and the Devil's Kitchen fumaroles to the Hogsback, then through the steep Pearly Gates chute or its Old Chute variation. Climbers stress a midnight start, crampons-ice axe-helmet, and being down before noon to avoid rock- and ice-fall.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.