Lessons learned from the latest lost and found Mt. Hood climbers

Overdue Climbers found by PMR
Portland Mountain Rescue
January 14, 2008

Late evening on Monday January 14th, Portland Mountain Rescue received a call out to assist in searching for two overdue climbers on Mt Hood. The two men were attempting to climb Leuthold Couloir and were due back around 3:00 pm.

When the girlfriend of one of the climbers hadn't heard from them she called Clackamas County Sheriffs Office requesting help.

PMR convened at Timberline Lodge at 5:00 Tuesday morning. Two teams of PMR rescuers headed out sometime around 7:00 am in a Timberline snow cat, which took rescuers to the top of the Palmer snowfield. Due to poor weather conditions, the rescuers were forced to turn around and return to the lodge.

Around 9:00 am cell phone contact was established with one of the climbers and they were able give coordinates of their location, near Government Camp. A third PMR team along with a team from 304th PJ's hiked up from Glacier Point Sno-park, reaching the climbers shortly after 11:00 am, and escorted the two men out.

According to the two men, they began their climb early Monday morning, but weather moved in and forced them to turn around. During their decent, the climbers were unable to navigate back to Timberline Lodge due to poor visibility.

Eventually, the men dug a snow cave and waited the storm to subside. Early Tuesday morning the two men continued to make their way off the mountain heading towards Government Camp.

PMR would like to stress the importance of checking the weather forecast and avalanche conditions before heading up the mountain. Weather can change quickly on the mountain, and being caught off guard by a winter storm can have serious consequences.

Climbers say they made it to 10,000 feet before bad weather turned them back
The Oregonian
January 15, 2008
A pair of climbers who failed to descend Mount Hood as planned Monday have walked off the mountain; both are in good condition, search and rescue authorities said.

Justin Votos, 27, and Matthew Pitts, 27, both of Portland, said in a quick interview at Timberline Lodge about noon today that they made it to 10,000 feet on Monday, but then the weather closed in.

They started to walk down toward the southeast, dropping below the timberline. When they realized they weren't anywhere near Timberline Lodge, they dug a snow cave.

They got up at 5 a.m. and set off.

During their hike out, they spotted a twig with red tape on it and a water bottle nearby. It contained their location's exact coordinates, apparently left by someone playing a geocaching adventure game.

Just as they found the geocache site, Pitts' cell phone rang. It was the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. The men had thought the phone's batteries were dead.

"That was something," Votos said of the phone call.

Votos and Pitts began their ascent about 5:30 a.m. Monday. They filled out a climbers' register, and one of them told his girlfriend they planned to descend by 3 p.m. to Timberline Lodge, where their car was parked. She phoned authorities between 7-8 p.m. to say they had not shown up.

The climbers did not have a mountain locator unit, a device that emits a signal in case climbers get lost. Asked whether they would bring one next time, Votos said, "I absolutely would."

Eight members of Portland Mountain Rescue were called to the mountain this morning. Rescuers set out at 7:10 a.m. in a Sno-cat, which was to take them to 7,500 feet. But conditions on the mountain were poor. Strong winds created whiteout conditions, and the temperature at Timberline Lodge hovered around 10 degrees. Visibility was less than 100 yards.

News that the climbers had been located came minutes after whiteout conditions prompted two teams of searchers to turn back from their ascent up the mountain.

Rescuers armed with the climbers' coordinates headed up the mountain. They set off on snowshoes at the Enid Lake Trail, carrying two extra sets for Votos and Pitts. They found the men about 11 a.m. The climbers snowshoed out on their own, tired and wet but otherwise unharmed.

Rocky Henderson, an experienced searcher and volunteer with Portland Mountain Rescue, said the climbers' intended route was the Leuthold Couloir, the second most popular route up the west side of the mountain.

Henderson said the route, located on the southwest side of the mountain, is a technical one. He added conditions on the mountain may have turned the steep Leuthold Couloir into an especially treacherous route.

The route the climbers planned to ascend is considered the "trash chute" of the mountain, said veteran climber Steve Rollins, a volunteer with Portland Mountain Rescue. He said couloirs act like funnels or large gullies coming off the mountain. Debris, ice, rocks and other hazards tend to roll through the couloir. That's why it's better to travel light and move swiftly when moving along the route.

"That is one of the reasons why it's somewhat safer to go light and fast," Rollins said. "If you are going slow you are going to be exposed to all that stuff coming off the mountain."

In December 2006, the fate of three climbers became a national story after they attempted a winter summit of Mount Hood. Bad weather overtook them on Dec. 10, and blizzard like conditions pinned searchers near the timberline for days.

Kelly James, 48, of Dallas, Texas, was injured and holed up in a snow cave. Brian Hall, 38, also of Dallas and Jerry "Nikko" Cooke, 36, of Brooklyn, N.Y., left to get help. James eventually was found dead of hypothermia. Hall's and Cooke's bodies have never been found.
-- Stuart Tomlinson and Noelle Crombie

Climbers own posting on www.CascadeClimbers.com
Matt Pitts
Registered: 01/16/08
Posts: 3

Hi guys. My name is Matt Pitts and I was one of the guys you heard about on Hood the other day. One of the reporters we talked to said that he was a climber and that we should check out this site, and that you had been following what was going on and wishing us well. First and foremost I want to thank everyone for that. It meant allot to us when we heard that. That said, I feel like we need to clarify a few details about what happened as the media has been consistently inaccurate with the information they have been disseminating. I've never been to this site before so forgive me if I'm posting this in the wrong format or spot.

Anyway, Justin and I had been looking at Leuthold's for a couple of weeks and thought it would be a good one to tick off together. He had already done the standard south side route and I had done Sandy headwall a few years back. Anyway, weather looked good for a Monday summit bid so I got the day off and we went for it. We checked 2 different weather sites the day before (including the Forestry dept.'s site for Hood) and both indicated partly cloudy conditions in the morning and partly sunny later in the day, with freezing temps at 8000 feet. We couldn't ask for better. We checked again before we left at 3am on Monday and nothing had changed, so up we went.

We knew Leuthold's was a notorious debris shoot so our strategy was to travel fast and light. The less time we spent in there, the better. Despite what some have said, we brought with us a map, altimeter and compass and had thoroughly researched the route. As I had told the reporters, a GPS would have been nice, but neither of us had been able to find an affordable one that didn't die in cold weather. But with Justin's orienteering experience as a forester and our general knowledge of the mountain, we had no reason to think that wouldn't be enough.

Long story short, we hit the snow around 5:30 ish and were probably into the couloir around 9. I guess around that time, Justin's girlfriend texted him to let us know that the weather report had changed on the forestry site. By then his phone had no reception, and my piece of shit had died from the cold. we were aware of the general avalanche warnings on Hood as well, but the snow on the west side seemed well packed from the wind and proved to be no problem. We saw clouds in the distance as we were clearing the hourglass, which drew our concern, but the weather report had called for some clouds, so we kept going with a wary eye on them.

The storm hit us at about 10, when we were at about 10,200 of elevation. They were complete white out conditions with about 75 mph winds. Weighing our options, we decided to back off rather than summiting and coming down the south side, as the summit ridge in those conditions would be impossible to traverse. So back we went, heading for the saddle. Unfortunately, the storm had brought in a big change in barometric pressure, which threw off the altimeter, and we were unable to find the saddle. However, we did eventually find another gap in the ridge there and we able to pop over to the south side. It was damn slow going though.

We descended on a SE bearing intending to avoid Zigzag canyon and hoping to hit the lodge. At 6000 ft we knew we had missed it and our next logical course of action was to head due south until we hit Oregon 26 and hitch-hike back to the truck. We had told our girlfriends that we expected to be back down at Timberline lodge by 3 or 4 and we were running late. At 9pm Justin's girlfriend called up to see if we had checked out, assuming that we were just getting hammered in Govt. Camp and didn't bother to call her. Apparently she spoke to someone from ski patrol who found our car in the lot and told her to call the Sheriff's dept. She actually refused to do so, saying it was too early to call it in until the next day. The call to the sheriff was actually made by ski patrol, not by either of our girlfriends, and they both repeatedly asked them to not go ahead with rescue operations that quickly. (although mine is still down for that spanking someone suggested

Anyhow, we post-holed down to about 5000 ft where we decided to dig out a cave and rest up a little (about 11 pm). We were back up at 5am and kept shooting for a Southerly bearing. With a little visibility we figured we were in the Little Zig Zag or Sand drainage area and were on our way out. At about 8:30 my phone sprang back to life and Justin's girlfriend was on the line. That was the first we heard about anyone looking for us. We had assumed that they might start looking in the morning, but we had moved so far away from our scheduled descent that there was no way they were going to find us, particularly in the trees. So, about 1/2 an hour later of slogging through snow we came across a Nalgene hanging from a tree with flagging around it and turns out it was a geocache. Right after we opened it up, the sheriff called me and we were able to give him exact coordinates. When I gave him our location, I asked him to look at a map and just give us a bearing and we could hump it out. We were right around 3000 ft, so we knew we were close. He insisted we stay put though, and PMR was there in about 45 minutes with tea and candy. Turns out we were about 2/5 of a mile from a trail head when we were "rescued", right near Ski Bowl. That said, I have nothing but gratitude and respect for all of the rescue people involved, including PMR and the Sheriff's dept., they do amazing work. But we would much rather have walked the extra 45 minutes and gotten out of our own volition. Anyway, after PMR showed up, they gave us some snow shoes and we were back at the trailhead in about 10 minutes where the reporters were waiting to take those ridiculous pictures of us coming out of the woods.

Anyway, I hope that clears things up a bit for anyone that might care. I've read some people's posts about personal responsibility on the mountain and I could not agree more. We both believe that nobody got us into that situation but ourselves. Nor did we think that someone was going to fix things for us when they got bad. At no point during those 36 hours did we plan for, or count on being picked up off the mountain by rescue teams. There is inherent danger in climbing and a climber's job is to reduce that risk to acceptable levels. We were both confident in our abilities to get up and down the mountain alive, and though I certainly admit that we could have done it in better style, ultimately we did.

This post ended up allot longer than I planned on, so I apologize for that. Again, I'm not sure if I posted this in the right place, so by all means repost it to somewhere people might see it.

Here are some of the Oregon State SAR Statutes that apply to the Responsibilities of backcountry travelers

REIMBURSEMENT BY BENEFITED PERSONS
404.270 Reimbursement of public body for search and rescue by benefited persons; amount; exceptions. (1) A public body that has authority to conduct search and rescue activities may collect an amount specified in this section as reimbursement for the cost of search and rescue activities when the public body conducts search and rescue activities for the benefit of hikers, climbers, hunters and other users of wilderness areas or unpopulated forested or mountainous recreational areas in this state.

(2) The public body may collect moneys as authorized by this section from each person for whose benefit search and rescue activities are conducted. The public body may not collect more than $500 from an individual under this section and may not collect more than the actual cost of the search and rescue activities from all of the individuals for whose benefit the activities are conducted.

(3) A public body may obtain reimbursement under this section only when:

(a) Reasonable care was not exercised by the individuals for whose benefit the search and rescue activities are conducted; or

(b) Applicable laws were violated by such individuals.

(4) Any individual who is charged a fee for reimbursement under this section may appeal the charge or the amount of the fee to the public body that charged the fee.

(5) For the purposes of subsection (3) of this section, evidence of reasonable care includes:

(a) The individuals possessed experience and used equipment that was appropriate for the known conditions of weather and terrain.

(b) The individuals used or attempted to use locating devices or cellular telephones when appropriate.

(c) The individuals notified responsible persons or organizations of the expected time of departure and the expected time of return and the planned location or route of activity.

(d) The individuals had maps and orienteering equipment and used trails or other routes that were appropriate for the conditions.

(6) As used in this section, “public body” has the meaning given that term in ORS 174.109. [Formerly 401.590]

EQUIPMENT AND SIGNALING DEVICES

404.300 Definitions for ORS 404.300 to 404.315. As used in ORS 404.300 to 404.315:

(1) “Electronic signaling device” includes, but is not limited to, a system consisting of an instrument which emits a radio signal, designed to be carried on the person, an instrument for locating the source of such signal, designed to be utilized by searchers and such instruments as may be employed for testing and maintaining the same.

(2) “Inherent risks of wilderness travel and mountain climbing” includes, but is not limited to, those dangers or conditions, the risk of which is an integral part of these activities, such as becoming lost, incapacitated or for some other reason being unable to return safely without outside assistance. “Inherent risks” include the activities associated with search and rescue, due to the unpredictable circumstances under which search and rescue operations are conducted.

(3) “Wilderness travel” includes, but is not limited to, travel in areas not served by roads suitable for ordinary motor vehicles, whether or not such areas have been officially designated as wilderness areas. [Formerly 401.605]

404.305 Assumption of risk of wilderness travel or mountain climbing; use and effect of electronic signaling devices. (1) In accordance with ORS 31.600 and notwithstanding ORS 31.620 (2), an individual who engages in wilderness travel or mountain climbing accepts and assumes the inherent risks of wilderness travel or mountain climbing.

(2) The Legislative Assembly recognizes that the use of electronic signaling devices can aid in locating wilderness travelers or mountain climbers who require search and rescue, but that the use of such devices may be required in unpredictable circumstances which may not result in successful function of such devices. [Formerly 401.615]

404.310 Required equipment when guiding children above timberline. A person who guides for compensation an organized group that includes children under 18 years of age on any mountain above the timberline must carry an altimeter, a contour map of the area and a compass. [Formerly 401.625]

The primary purpose of these TraditionalMountaineering experience reports (and the American Alpine Club's fifty eight Annual Report's of Accidents in North American Mountaineering) is to aid in the prevention of accidents.

1. Responsibility number one: Tell a Responsible Person what you plan to do and when you plan to return and make sure that Responsible Person knows they are being relied upon to call 911 at an agreed time if the climbers have not returned.

REIMBURSEMENT BY BENEFITED PERSONS
404.270 Reimbursement of public body for search and rescue by benefited persons; amount; exceptions.
(1) A public body that has authority to conduct search and rescue activities may collect an amount specified in this section as reimbursement for the cost of search and rescue activities when the public body conducts search and rescue activities for the benefit of hikers, climbers, hunters and other users of wilderness areas or unpopulated forested or mountainous recreational areas in this state.
(2) The public body may collect moneys as authorized by this section from each person for whose benefit search and rescue activities are conducted. The public body may not collect more than $500 from an individual under this section and may not collect more than the actual cost of the search and rescue activities from all of the individuals for whose benefit the activities are conducted.
(3) A public body may obtain reimbursement under this section only when:
(a) Reasonable care was not exercised by the individuals for whose benefit the search and rescue activities are conducted; or
(b) Applicable laws were violated by such individuals.
(4) Any individual who is charged a fee for reimbursement under this section may appeal the charge or the amount of the fee to the public body that charged the fee.
(5) For the purposes of subsection (3) of this section, evidence of reasonable care includes:
(a) The individuals possessed experience and used equipment that was appropriate for the known conditions of weather and terrain.
(b) The individuals used or attempted to use locating devices or cellular telephones when appropriate.
(c) The individuals notified responsible persons or organizations of the expected time of departure and the expected time of return and the planned location or route of activity.
(d) The individuals had maps and orienteering equipment and used trails or other routes that were appropriate for the conditions.
(6) As used in this section, “public body” has the meaning given that term in ORS 174.109. [Formerly 401.590]

"Justin Votos, 27, and Matthew Pitts, 27, both of Portland, said in a quick interview at Timberline Lodge about noon today that they made it to 10,000 feet on Monday, but then the weather closed in." "Votos and Pitts began their ascent about 5:30 a.m. Monday. They filled out a climbers' register, and one of them told his girlfriend they planned to descend by 3 p.m. to Timberline Lodge, where their car was parked. She phoned authorities between 7-8 p.m. to say they had not shown up." The Mt. Hood ski patrol called out SAR. (See above)

Late evening on Monday January 14th, 2008, Portland Mountain Rescue Volunteers received a call-out to assist in searching for two overdue climbers on Mt. Hood.
(Note that the climbers were almost five hours overdue before their Responsible Person called the Timberline Ski Patrol. The Ski Patrol call SAR.

2. The Second Responsibility of each individual backcountry traveler or climber is to be equipped with a light weight daypack and enough extra clothing, water, food and selected gear from The Ten Essential Systems to survive an emergency stop of several hours or overnight.

3. The Third Responsibility is to have a topo map of the area, a declination-corrected base-plate compass (seventeen degrees currently in Central Oregon) and an inexpensive GPS. Experience tells us that you cannot get by with GPS alone – you need a topo map and declination adjusted base plate compass, and new skills to use them together!

4. The Fourth Responsibility is: Carry your common digital cell phone, turned on
"During their hike out, they spotted a twig with red tape on it and a water bottle nearby. It contained their location's exact coordinates, apparently left by someone playing a geocaching adventure game. Just as they found the geocache site, Pitts' cell phone rang. It was the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. The men had thought the phone's batteries were dead. "That was something," Votos said of the phone call.

WARNING - *DISCLAIMER!*
Mountain climbing has inherent dangers that can, only in part, be mitigated