Basic Alpine Climb - Mount Hood/South Side (Palmer Glacier)

Temps in the 30s and a clear night sky yielded great crampon snow in the morning. Vertical pickets required hammering in. From the hogsback, we traversed 30-35 degree snow (some exposure) and did a switchback to get to the old chute. Chute felt like it was 35-40 degrees (ie lower angle than the early season snow up the Mt Shuksan summit pyramid). We did a running belay up the chute with 2-3 pickets and it was perfect. Belayed initial downclimbing and placed pickets on the downclimb as well. Despite it being a beautiful Sunday morning, only saw 4 other groups around the hogsback, and congestion in the Chute was not an issue.
Ran into friends on the summit who attempted the Pearly Gates, and said the bergshrund was manageable, but said that going up past there looked like a "two tool endeavor."