Mount Hood, OR, Backcountry Report: Fresh Summer Snow

Looking from the Devil’s Kitchen toward the Old Chute summit route of Mount Hood. (PC: Nicky Blumm)

Report from June 20, 2024

June is synonymous with summer, but in the Pacific Northwest, we get fresh snow. This week, Timberline Lodge reported more than seven inches of snow. There was even more fresh above the resort, including at least a foot in the bowl.

It’s hard to ignore fresh snow anytime, but this late in the season, it demands attention. My friend Drew, a fierce skier who has never been in the backcountry before, was keen to try it out. Despite his lack of experience, he was excited to begin ascending in the moonlight. We left the car a bit after 3:00 a.m. and were in awe of the tapestry of stars above us as Drew got his skins under him for the first time.

Mountain time is a trip, especially on a south face at sunrise. The sky began to light up around 4:00 a.m. We experienced a continually rising sun for the next several hours, as Wy’East Face of the mountain shielded us from the sun as we gained altitude. We enjoyed the spectacular view of Mount Hood’s shadow cast into the valley southwest of the mountain.

It’s hard to capture a mountain’s shadow, but Drew was gaping at it in this shot. (PC: Nicky Blumm)

The cold night air kept the snow firm and allowed for a fairly rapid ascent. Drew took no time to get familiar with it, and we charged above the Palmer Snowfield by the time the sun rose. There was a pleasantly surprising amount of coverage above 7,000 feet. The conditions above 8,500 feet certainly didn’t reflect the normal state for June. As we headed toward Crater Rock, there were 25+ people making their way up the Old Chute.

When we arrived at Devil’s Kitchen, things were heating up. The sun had been on the bowl for over an hour, and the snow surface was beginning to transform from hard and crusty to soft and punchy. Despite our ambitions to summit, the Old Chute looked toasty and our risk tolerance was low. So we elected to get to the best part of the day: skiing down.

From Crater Rock, we saw that the Palmer Chairlift’s gates were full of ski racers. We could not discern if the U.S. Ski Team were present, but dozens of teams were set up to ski the snowfield before temperatures rose. In a different section, hordes of park riders were playing on the tremendous park that the Timberline crew had prepared. It’s not every day that you see a casual backflip-360 off a side hit during your descent from the backcountry. There are certainly perks to skiing down such a well-trafficked path. Finally, it was an absolute relief to ski straight to the car after our climb—nothing beats Timberline for access.

With a summit bid for Mount Adams in mind for next week, here’s hoping for some more June fresh— there can never be enough!