Hey all, I've been trying to do some research on a good time to do Mt Hood but I've come across a problem. The time to climb seems to be April - June. Is this the only time people climb Hood safely? I don't mind starting at ridiculous early times to avoid mash potatoes but it seems like all the beta just says no to any other months. In Colo your routes change come summer to avoid rockfall or avy but you can pretty much climb any mountain anytime with a modified route.
I'm a little out of my element here. I live in Colo and have done many 14ers and many of them in winter. I'm fine with axe/cramps and snow travel but I've never done any climbing in the cascades so I figured Id ask around here.
Volcanoes are slag heaps.. literally just big piles of broken volcanic crap, and gravity is always trying to level out the pile. Once there's no ice/snow holding everything together, it starts coming apart.
But people do climb it all year round. I've climbed every month except September. Up to you!
You correctly identified the "prime season" for climbing Mt Hood. Climbing in winter is very dependent on weather, and if you do not live in the area, it is pretty impractical to choose your climb date a month in advance to get days off work and reserve a plane flight from Colorado. Many non-locals have died in winter because they have "over-invested" and misjudge the danger factors on the day of their summit attempt.
Summer is much less dangerous, but some of more interesting routes are not doable after the "season" is finished. And the "volcanic rubble" is off-putting to some.