Backcountry
Conditions Report
Report from Tuesday, November 6, 2024
It’s no secret that the Pacific Northwest has enjoyed a very stormy week to start the month of November. Happily, the stormy week allowed Timberline to open limited terrain for the weekend storm. Wednesday was the first sunny day the mountain had seen in quite a while.
From the Timberline Lodge to the top of the Miracle Mile, there was a mix of dust-on-crust and approximately two-inch patches of snow. The crust was rock-hard when I ascended around 7:30 a.m. Notably, while the morning sunlight graced the parking lot and southern slopes, the bowl retained a hat all morning.
On the way up the Palmer Snowfield (now existent again), there were more substantial wind ridges with up to four inches of fresh deposit. About halfway up Palmer, the wind began to rip down the mountain. The wind had already substantially affected the snowpack by strafing the snow anywhere there was not a wind deposit. Turning around, the views to the south were stunning.
At about 8,800 feet, just above the top of Palmer, I traversed west toward the Zigzag Glacier, in the hopes of finding more consistent snow. The ridges of rock remained ice-covered, but the plains had a more consistent two inches of fresh snow on what felt like hardpack.
At 10,500 feet, on Crater Rock, I elected to begin my descent. The Bowl had deep and soft snow, though it was undeniably heavy by 11:00 a.m. Sadly, the snow surface received substantial moisture at the end of the last storm cycle, which caused conditions to be less than optimal. As I transitioned, I noticed debris falling down the Old Chute summit route—reinforcing that this early season tour was not the day for a summit bid.
The Mount Hood forecast reflects more wintery weather as soon as this weekend:
The Timberline Lodge snow totals are more than impressive for early November:
PHOTOS
