Climbing Mt Hood Via Leuthold Coulior Route

The weather has been sunny and cold, so the snow from November's storms is very consolidated up on Mount Hood. My friend Matt and I have been eager to climb and decided on the Leuthold Coulior route on Mt Hood early Saturday morning. This a technical route that starts at Timberline Lodge (same as the popular non-technical South route). Leuthold Couliour is to the West (climbers left) of Illumination Rock. Our plan was to climb up Leuthold Couloir and then return via the South route (approximately 7 miles round-trip). The route follows the chairlifts up Palmer Glacier and then heads west to Illumination Saddle across the Zigzag Glacier. At this point, climbers rope up before traversing down and across Reid Glacier to Leuthold Couloir (last big coulior before Yocum Ridge). Leuthold Couloir leads up to the summit ridge and then climbers traverse to the true summit.

Download route (round-trip) as shown in map above in Keyhole Markup Language (KML) format for use with GPS units and mapping programs. Disclaimer.

We have been having an inversion weather pattern where it is warmer up higher. When we left Portland around 1:30 AM Saturday morning it was in the mid 20's, but the temperature rose to 38°F by the time we arrived at Timberline lodge around 3 AM. We registered at the climbers kiosk and began climbing at 3:20 AM. We made quick progress covering the first 1,000' feet of elevation in around 40 minutes. The snow was consolidated most everywhere except for a couple spots where we busted through the crust a few inches. The wind was light at about 10 mph. As we increased in elevation the temperature dropped and it was soon below freezing.

We had a treat in that we were climbing under a full moon. It was so light out that we didn't even need headlamps. Another treat was that a total lunar eclipse started partway through our climb. Once the moon was completely shadowed by the earth from the moon, it became totally dark and we had to use our headlamps to proceed further.

I was still getting over my cold from earlier in the week, so I noticed a huge lack of energy as we continued to climb towards Illumination Saddle. I was also climbing in a brand new pair of Scarpa Mont Blanc GTX mountaineering boots since my old pair was too tight in the toe box. After my frostbite from earlier this year, I have noticed my toes get colder much easier. Unfortunately this climb was no exception and by the time we reached Illumination Saddle (9,327'), my toes were painfully cold. The new boots had also started to poke into my shins. With all these unpleasant factors weighing me down, I made the call to turn around instead of continuing our climb. It was a hard call to make, but probably the right one. Matt was a little disappointed, but very supportive. Luckily the mountain is not going anywhere, so we'll get another chance in the future (provided I can find a pair of boots that work for me).

We spent a little while in a snow cave at illumination saddle warming up before heading back down the mountain. I cracked open a pair of disposable toe warmers and hand warmers while putting on an extra jacket. The temperature had dropped to 18°F and the sun had still not risen. We decided to stay until after sunrise and watch two other pair of climbers head up Leuthold Coulior and Reid Headwall respectively. It was a beautiful sunrise with clear blue skies. An absolutely amazing day to climb. We were both pretty bummed, but we will look forward to coming back in the near future.

On the way down my Scarpa boots really started tearing into my lower shins. By the time we arrived back down at Timberline Lodge, my lower legs had been rubbed raw by the tongue of the boots. I also had a blister on my left heel which I didn't even notice until taking off my boots. It was very unfortunate as I had high hopes for the Mont Blanc boots. I guess my boot search continues.

Before heading home, we enjoyed a cocktail and food in the historic Timberline Lodge. It was busy with many skiers and snowboarders taking advantage of the sunny day and great snow.