South Side: Timberline

Early-season hazards paired with widespread scoured, slick surfaces are making for a gnarly experience on the south side of Mt. Hood right now.  Ski or boot crampons will help navigate these unforgiving surfaces safely and efficiently. We didn't find skiable, continuous snow until about 6300 ft.  Above this, we started connecting ribbons of snow and found much better coverage around 7000 ft.  The only soft snow we found existed in leeward gully features and canyons. The 1-2 inches of recent snow drifted into these east-facing areas, creating 6-8-inch-thick wind drifts. These mainly appeared small, isolated, and trending towards unreactive below 8000 ft.  In general, it's very clear that a small avalanche or long, sliding fall would have dire consequences with the current state of the mountain.