I just completed TMG's Mount Hood Silcox Hut Summit program (6/15-16). The staff at TMG were great making sure we had all the necessary equipment for every condition you might encounter on the mountain, including rental gear that was in great condition. They also make sure you have the necessary skills to safely climb the mountain and provide the instruction in an easy to understand and comfortable way.The Silcox Hut is an amazing surprise to this program by providing comfortable and surprisingly luxurious accommodations for being situated halfway up a mountain! The hut keeper Steve was not only welcoming and an amazing host but an incredible cook providing delicious and varied dishes. Our guide, Max, was a knowledgeable, helpful and very patient person. His professionalism and experience were evident throughout the trip and made sure we made it safely to the summit and back down. I would specifically ask for him when you book your trip!

Arizonans at Mt Hood w/ TMG June 2020 Being at Hood for my first time ever with my two sons and friends- I too climbed Hood with my two sons and two friends in June 2020, and I also did not peak- but I have a far different impression. The area and the mountain were fantastic. The photos we took during the 5000 ft ascent are awesome. The guides Brendan and Adam were excellent with instruction and guidance with a wide range (minimal to quite experienced) of climbing experience among-st us five. I saw the guides conduct a very good assessment of our group and our equipment before Brendan took us out for a multihour instruction session in the snow. I noted great consideration given to the dual goals of peaking and safety by Brendan and Adam. Two of the five of us did not summit- BUT I believe safety issues prevailed. One of my sons had severe bilateral thigh cramps unremitting to normal treatment measures. Some of the same issues beset other climbers in our group only allowing one of sons and my primary climbing friend to peak. I have NO heartburn with that- the only successful climb is one where you make it back. Bear this in mind: - an ultra experienced climber died in 2012 on hood- check it out it is easy to find on the web There certainly is risk that these guides are trained to recognize- in the terrain, the weather and in us!

NOTE: A week after I originally posted this review the manager of Timberline Guides, Pete called me and offered to refund me or to enroll me in another guided climb. This was my 2nd attempt at Mt Hood, and my guide kept looking for reasons NOT to summit. I estimate we were 600 ft from the summit when this jerk aborted. About 3 hours into the climb the guide started talking about the snow being superficially frozen and we might not summit. I wanted to take more breaks, but this guy refused and kept harpin that we were running out of time and the sun would make it unsafe. I said, “I thought that is why we left at midnight”. He could tell I was not happy. I even told him that he was demotivating. I purposely slowed down a bit. We were at the Hog’s Back, the final pitch before the summit at approximately 5:00 AM, which I thought was pretty good. We got to that point in 5 hours and that was a 5,000-elevation gain from Timberline Lodge. The weather was outstanding. On the Hog’s Back (photo) I slipped and fell to my knees and slightly tightened the short rope and this turd used that as a reason to abort. There were plenty of people not using a guide. There were plenty of people not using ropes. There were plenty of people enjoying their summit.

**For anyone using this guide service please read this first!!! We were not warned that we were not aloud to smoke weed before the guided hike (we both smoke on a daily basis). On May 3rd, my brother and I showed up at 215 am to hike hood with timberline lodge's guide named Phil. Upon arrival he refused to guide us to the top for smoking one small bowl in the parking lot. We are from Charlotte NC and planned to hike up with our father, his gf, and his best friend. Had we been warned prior to the event we would have simply not smoked. What resulted was not only a bummer but on top of that, Phil continued to make it worse rather than help us resolve the situation. When we asked for a phone number to contact about resolving the ordeal he refused to give us any phone numbers or info and walked away. He also shamed and bashed us like criminals in front of our close friends and family who then became even more disappointed in our actions even though we were not warned. 7 hours of confusion and disappointment later we were able to get in touch with Miles (another timberline lodge guide) who was immediately empathetic and did the best he could to give us advice and get us in touch with the company head. *We did get a refund after making our point very clear but when Phil returned from the mountain with our family he was pissed off that we got a refund as if the cost of the trip from NC was only the price of the guide. Phil had no interest in acknowledging what he did to our trip and our family. There is a fair chance my father will not have an opportunity to hike mount hood with us ever again but Phil loudly repeated that it was our fault and he was never going to feel bad about it. If we do ever try this again, we would suggest trying to get Miles as your guide, at least then you have a friendly person to hike with even if you dont smoke.

My husband and I recently became obsessed with mountaineering and living in the Pacific Northwest we decided that after standing on the Summits of Rainier, Baker, Adams, and Helens that we should head to Oregon and climb down there! After researching guided programs on Mount Hood I found Timberline Mountain Guides and then I saw an option for a stay at a hut prior to our alpine start for the summit. This idea sounds incredible compared to the freezing cold tents we usually sleep in prior to climbing to the top of a mountain! Why not spoil ourselves and see what this hut life is all about! This was such an amazing program, our guides were extremely knowledgeable and they had a great snow school the day before our summit attempt. Even though I felt comfortable with my ice ax and crampons I definitely learned some new techniques which really helped me enjoy the steep climbing up through the Pearly Gates the next morning. After our training we then took our first snow cat ride up to the Silcox hut and this place blew us away. The hut keeper Steve was amazing and prepared an incredible dinner and two breakfasts the next morning; one prior to our climb and then a celebratory waffle feast after our summit! The climb up to the summit was also fantastic, our guides were very skilled and just a joy to be around. We were blessed with amazing weather that day and had no problems making it to the summit and back down the mountain for waffles with Steve :). This was a nice change throwing in a hut stay during a mountaineering trip! I would climb with Timberline Mountain Guides again in a heart beat. I hope to climb and/or ski with Chris, Aaron, and Lucas some time soon! Two very enthusiastic thumbs up on the whole experience!