Snow Dome - Mt. Hood

From left to Right: Cooper Spur, Elliot Glacier, Snow Dome

Among the many reasons I love Oregon, one of the most significant is that "ski season" is kind of a misnomer. In Oregon, it should really be called "ski year. In most places, "ski season" starts in December and ends in March. A couple die-hards may be out in November or April. But by the time May rolls around, much of the snow is gone, and the snowy mountains have been forgotten. Not so in Oregon. In May, we're just getting started.

Well, it's June, it's the first day of Summer, and today I skied nearly 3000 vertical feet of spectacular corn on Snow Dome on Mt. Hood. I love Oregon.

The Cloud Cap Road has been closed since 2013 due to "hazard trees" that line the road 

Situated on the NE side of Mt. Hood, just north of the Elliot Glacier, Snow dome is a classic summer descent. It is a perennial snowfield reaching up to around 10,000 feet. With the continued closure of the Cloud Cap Rd. the approach to Snow Dome is long and dry. Is it worth it? Definitely.

Paul skinning up Snow Dome with the Elliot Glacier in the Background

Paul and I left Portland Friday evening and spent the night in his family's cabin up on Mt. Hood. We got going around 6:00 am, and after a quick cup of coffee at the Huckleberry Inn, we were on our way to the trailhead. To get to Snow Dome, park at the road closure gate on the Cloud Cap road, just up from Cooper Spur ski area. From there take the Tilley Jane trail around 3 miles up to the Tilley Jane Guard Station.

Summer Corn Harvest 

There is nearly continuous snow from the amphitheater near the Tilley Jane hut up to Cooper Spur via a small gully. However, the snow is melting fast, so who knows how long that snow will last. To get to Snow Dome, it seems the best route right now is to skin up the gully to Cooper Spur. Once that snow melts out, just hike the Cooper Spur Trail (600 or 600A get you to the same place) . Around a third of the way up the Cooper Spur "triangle" begin traversing down into the flats below the Elliot Glacier. Choose your route carefully across the glacier. The Crevasses are starting to open up. From there skin up the ramp that faces almost due South, and you're set up to make a straight shot (albeit with many kick turns) at Snow Dome.

The Elliot Glacier provides an epic backdrop to a classic Oregon descent 

Despite the fact that both Paul and I are reasonably fast hikers, it seemed to take forever to get up to the Elliot Glacier. The significant amount of hiking on trails and carrying skis on our packs took its toll. But, once we actually started skinning up Snow Dome, we made decent time. We reached the top of Snow Dome around 1:15 p.m. The corn snow started to prime by noon or so, but even at 1:30--when we finally began our descent--the snow was still skiing well. We took turns skiing down the dome, making figure eights with each other's tracks. The snow was spectacular. Smooth and consistent for nearly 3000 vertical feet Despite perfect weather conditions and the fact that it was the summer solstice, we were alone.

The traverse across the Elliot glacier went by quickly, and after slogging our way through the sticky, dirty snow below Copper Spur, we eventually found ourselves back at Tilley Jane. With thoughts of food and beer swimming through our tired minds, we trudged down to the hot dusty trail back to the car.

Happy summer skiing everyone!

Paul dwarfed by the imposing summit of Mt. Hood