Climbers struck by avalanche on North Sister's Thayer Glacier snowfield

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Climbers struck by avalanche on North Sister's Thayer Glacier snowfield

North Sister avalanche traps four
The Bulletin
by Keith Chu
Monday morning, May 23, 2005

Two people were airlifted from the eastern slope of North Sister with serious injuries after their hiking party triggered an avalanche on the mountain Sunday afternoon.

Nancy Miller, 40, and James A. Ellers, 36, both of Portland, were transported to St. Charles Medical Center-Bend by ambulance and helicopter, said Lt. Michael Johnston of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office.

Ellers and Miller, along with David Byrne Jr., 39, and James Brewer, 50, also of Portland, set off the avalanche when they walked into the path of an unstable snow slope on Thayer Glacier on the east side of North Sister, sometime before 1:30 p.m., said Johnston.

"They were just hiking, I guess," Johnston said.

Their location was about a day's hike up the mountain, he said.

According to Johnston, the rescue operation unfolded as follows:

Dispatchers at Deschutes County 911 received a call from Brewer and Byrne, at 1:30 p.m., reporting the avalanche. About an hour later, a helicopter from Air Life of Oregon delivered search and rescue workers to the scene, Johnston said.

Deschutes County Search and Rescue coordinated the operation from a mobile command center at Sisters Airport. The Oregon National Guard launched two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from Salem at 3:30 p.m. to rescue the hikers. Passers-by gathered on the edge of the Sisters Airport to observe the two black military helicopters.

Rescue teams transported Miller, who suffered the most serious injuries, to a staging area at the Sisters Airport about two hours later.

There, military personnel and volunteers removed Miller from a bright orange sling-type harness and placed her on a stretcher before loading her onto the Air Life helicopter.

Rescue workers also airlifted Ellers from the glacier, but transported him to the hospital by ambulance.

Byrne and Brewer were not injured in the avalanche, Johnston said.

Personnel from the Jefferson County Search and Rescue and the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District also assisted in the operation. About 30 people took part in the rescue, Johnston said.

News Channel 21 confirms that the injured people were downclimbing . . .

Z-21 Assistant News Director Barney Lerten and Reporter Brittney Hopper interviewed Robert Speik of TraditionalMountaineering.org at Mountain Supply on the subject of avalanche avoidance as a means of limiting avalanche risk in our local mountains.

During the day, Lerten was able to contact Sgt. Tom Wells, leader of the Deschutes County Search and Rescue and made the first confirmation that the group of experienced Mazamas was downclimbing from the summit ridge and not "hikers" "who walked into the path of an unstable snow slope". Neither Byrne nor Brewer could be reached for comment Monday (or Tuesday).

Z-21 News Director Jason Carr reported the facts of the climb, interviewed Wells and Speik and listed avalanche avoidance points on the five, six and eleven o'clock News.
--Robert Speik, Monday evening, May 23, 2005

A factual description of the rescue . . .

The accident on North Sister occurred at about 1:15 on Sunday afternoon, May 22, 2005. Deschutes County 911 received a cell phone call from the climbers and alerted the Deschutes County Volunteer Search and Rescue unit under the supervision of Sgt. Dan Swearingen. The Camp Sherman Hasty Team led by Sgt. Mark Foster was alerted by Deschutes SAR at 1:30 and asked to respond at 1:45. Sgt. Foster had alerted Air Life and then asked them to pick up his Hasty Team members at Sisters Airport.

The Oregon National Guard Blackhawk helicopters require lengthy lead time - they lifted off from Salem at 3:30PM just as the Hasty Team reached the most seriously injured patient on the snowfield.

The Camp Sherman Hasty Team is a well trained group of about thirty volunteers from the Sisters area. They pride themselves on being a well trained quick response team. They volunteer for the Jefferson County Sheriff and assist the Deschutes and other teams upon request. Sgt. Foster who is an EMT, and five of his team members were accompanied on this mission by a Sisters Fire Department Paramedic due to the reported injuries to one of the climbers.

The Camp Sherman Hasty Team was inserted two at a time by the local Air Life helicopter crew to a low ridge near the glacial tarn at the foot of the Thayer Glacier. As they approached the landing they observed two more slough avalanche paths on the snowfield.

The Hasty Team negotiated three short avalanche prone slopes climbing from the LZ to the climbers. On the lower slopes their steps sank into the snow about 8 to 12 inches according to their report. Then they sank to their waists in soft wet snow down to a very wet layer of firmer footing. They were very concerned about the adhesion of this layer, fearing a slab avalanche release.

As they reached Nancy Miller, the first Blackhawk arrived with members of the Deschutes County team led by Sgt. Tom Wells. The Blackhawk hovered and then landed at the LZ of the Air Life helicopter which had returned to Sisters for fuel.

The Camp Sherman Hasty Team reached the upper patient, climbing 1,000 vertical feet above the LZ, just two hours after they were asked to assist!

Nancy Miller was found on top of about thirty feet of avalanche debris consisting of the slough of the recent snow layer broken into large chunks of hard wet snow and loose wet snow. She was stabilized, warmed and packaged on a backboard and lowered on a 300 foot rope equalized to a three picket anchor, to a point where the slope eased and the Blackhawk could affect a hoist rescue.

James Ellers was originally deposited about 300 feet down slope from Miller in about four feet of avalanche debris. He was packaged by the Deschutes County team and carried out my the second Blackhawk. He was less seriously injured.

Due to the recent federal HIPAA. regulations, no information is available from any medical providers on the extent and type of injuries of these climbers. Their condition has been upgraded from serious to fair as of Tuesday, May 24, 2005. The climbing community wishes them a speedy recovery.
--Robert Speik, Tuesday afternoon, May 24, 2005

Note: We obtained this accurate report on Tuesday morning from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Camp Sherman Hasty Team. It differs from the official press release of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Press Officer, Lt. Michael Johnston, who characterized these skilled climbers as "hikers" "who walked into the path of an unstable snow slope". The press release also failed to credit the quick response of the Camp Sherman Hasty Team. The four North Sister climbers themselves, have contributed to the concern of informed climbers and the public by failing to assist the release of the basic facts of their climb. --Robert Speik, Webmeister.

Note: In the mid 1980s, Robert Speik was Chair for three years of the Mountaineering Training Committee (MTC) of the Sierra Club's large Angeles Chapter in Southern California. The Committee was responsible for the training up to 1,000 people per year in Basic and Advanced Mountaineering Training with more than 250 volunteer Leaders in five geographical areas, all qualified in several levels of technical competence and responsibility. Bob Speik edited a new MTC Staff Handbook in 1985, writing the chapter on technical Snow Climbing. Recently, he has conducted class room and field classes in several mountaineering subjects for Central Oregon Community College in Bend Oregon. He is the author of the non-profit educational website TraditionalMountaineering.org. --Margaret Thompson Speik

An investigative reporter obtains more information about this accident . . .

Climbers caught off guard
Group was descending Thayer Glacier; one still in serious condition

“Apparently, the forecast changed significantly after they had checked it and were out in the field.. " - Bruce Hope, friend of injured climbers

The Bulletin
By Keith Chu
Wednesday, May 25, 2005

The man and woman injured Sunday in an avalanche on North Sister had climbed the mountain and were descending Thayer Glacier when the snow plume caught them.

The snow swept Nancy Miller, 40, and James "Jae" Ellers, 36, several hundred feet down the mountain, according to Bruce Hope, a friend who spoke to two other members of their party.

Miller broke her pelvis and several other bones. Ellers broke both of his legs, said Hope, who knows the climbers through The Mazamas, a Portland mountaineering club.

"They had ascended a peak along the ridge and to save time they were descending directly down the Thayer Glacier," Hope said. "From what they knew at the time everything looked fine."

Miller, of Portland, was listed in serious condition at St. Charles Medical Center-Bend on Tuesday. Ellers, also of Portland, was listed in fair condition.

David Byrne, 39, and James Brewer, 50, also made the climb, but avoided injury. Neither Byrne nor Brewer could be reached for comment Monday or Tuesday.

Miller and Ellers were leading the way down the glacier when the snow came loose, Hope said.

They were too far from the other climbers to hear Brewer's warning yell: "Avalanche."

Brewer called 911 on a cell phone. About an hour later, search and rescue teams from Deschutes and Jefferson counties reached the climbers by helicopter. Two Blackhawk helicopters from the Oregon National Guard airlifted the injured climbers off the slope.

They weren't expecting much avalanche activity, Hope said.

"At the time they checked (the weather forecast) it was acceptable," he said. "Apparently, the forecast changed significantly after they had checked it and were out in the field."

A weather forecast posted on the Oregon Mountaineering Association Web site Friday warned of potential danger on several slopes, including the east-facing Thayer Glacier.

"East and Northeast slopes receive the first sun and remain warm through the afternoon once they have warmed," the forecast read. "As a result they are usually the softest slopes and ones which should be climbed very early if they are selected at all."

The avalanche occurred sometime after 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Ellers is a trip leader for Mazamas, Hope said, and all of the climbers had considerable mountaineering experience. Ellers summarized his climbing philosophy in a short bio on the Mazamas Web site:

"I'm drawn to more difficult routes but also find great satisfaction in getting a big group safely up a mountain while having a good time," the bio reads. "I tend to push my groups physically to get through a route quickly, just to have more time for soaking in the surroundings on the summit or in camp."

Nancy Miller is also an experienced climber, according to her mother Connie Miller, who lives in Wisconsin. She said she expected Nancy to make a full recovery.

Long-time climber Keith Garlinghouse, 42, of Salem, was on Middle Sister at the time of the avalanche. He said this is a dangerous time of the year for mountaineers, as recent snowfall melts.

"You're looking at two feet of (new) snow and it hasn't had a whole lot of time to consolidate," said Garlinghouse, a member of Salem's Chemeketans climbing group. "I'd stay off the steeper routes until they clean themselves."

Still, even experienced mountaineers can get caught in bad situations, Garlinghouse said.

"I really feel for those guys," Garlinghouse said. "It can happen to any of us."

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Please read our AAC Report on this mountaineering accident . . .

American Alpine Club
Accident Report – North Sister, Thayer Glacier, Oregon Cascades, Miller-Ellers 05-22-05

Purpose: The primary purpose of these reports and the Annual Report of Accidents in North American Mountaineering is to aid in the prevention of accidents.

Narrative Description: Nancy Miller, James Ellers, David Bryne and James Brewer, all of Portland, are experienced members of Mazamas. They were climbing North Sister as a group of friends on Sunday, May 22, 2005, not as a Mazama club climb.

They had summitted the very friable and dangerous North Sister in the Three Sisters Wilderness several times in the past and they were on the descent from the summit ridge on Sunday afternoon when they chose to downclimb the Thayer Glacier snowfield.

While the steep snow slopes of winter and spring shrink to hard glacier ice several hundred vertical feet below the gendarmes guarding North Sister's summit ridge, the Thayer snow field in winter and spring extends to the top of the long slope down from the rock of the summit and the South East Ridge.

“Oregon High, A Climbing Guide”, 1991, by Jeff Thomas, reports the Thayer Glacier Headwall or East Face to be “straight forward and easy” with slopes up to 45 degrees near the top. “Avoid the Headwall after May unless the snowpack is high”, warns Thomas. With respect to the Early Morning Couloir on the East Face, Thomas notes that “as the name implies, you should be near the top of the couloir when the day breaks as it is a natural funnel for rock fall.”

According to Ellers, they saw small slough avalanches, but thought the slope had cleared. As Ellers and Miller led, down climbing the steep snow at one in the afternoon, a slough avalanche released above them and they were carried down several hundred vertical feet to the easier slopes below. In the late afternoon, the helicopter rescue pilots reported seeing several large slough avalanches on this snowfield above the Thayer Glacier.

Nancy Miller, 40, and James C. Ellers, 36, were seriously injured in the avalanche and were airlifted by two Blackhawk helicopters following a cell phone call at 1:30 PM to Deschutes County 911. Reportedly, Miller suffered a broken pelvis and Ellers had broken legs. They had been upgraded to serious condition at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend as of Monday afternoon. Both climbers are expected to fully recover.

In July 1998. Martina Testa, an inexperienced climber who was climbing alone, died as the result of a long fall down the same steep snow slope on the east side of North Sister. Spring avalanche activity was not reported by Search and Rescue volunteers at that time, however. Surface softened steep hard snow was felt to have contributed to her catastrophic slide down the snowfield.

The east facing Thayer Glacier snowfield was subjected to full sun on this first warm day after spring lowland rains had deposited a thick layer of wet snow on the steep consolidated snow slopes of the Cascade volcanoes. A web published avalanche forecast warned of high danger on east-facing slopes, especially after early morning. The longer alternate route, the South East Ridge, was mostly snow free.

The Camp Sherman volunteer Hasty Rescue Team negotiated three short avalanche prone slopes climbing from the helicopter LZ below the Thayer Glacier up to the climbers. On the lower slopes their steps sank into the snow about eight to twelve inches according to their Report. Then they sank to their wastes in soft wet snow down to a very wet layer of firmer snow. They were very concerned about the adhesion of this wet layer, fearing a slab avalanche release.

The slough avalanche may have been triggered by Bryne and Brewer, who were above and not caught by the slide. Most avalanches involving climbers and skiers are triggered by the people themselves.

Analysis of Accident: What knowledge and techniques will help prevent future accidents?
Climbers and skiers are advised to read and heed published avalanche warnings and the reminders to avoid east-facing steep snow slopes after recent heavy wet spring snow-fall, particularly after the spring sun has warmed the snow for several hours. Climbers often trigger avalanches from above which can engulf those climbing below.

Additional Comments:
The accident on North Sister occurred at about 1:15 on Sunday afternoon, May 22, 2005. Deschutes County 911 received a cell phone call from the climbers and alerted the Deschutes County Volunteer Search and Rescue unit under the supervision of Sgt. Dan Swearingen.

The Camp Sherman Hasty Team led by Sgt. Mark Foster was alerted by Deschutes SAR at 1:30 and asked to respond at 1:45. Sgt. Foster had alerted Air Life and then asked them to pick up his Hasty Team members at Sisters Airport.

The Oregon National Guard Blackhawk helicopters require lengthy lead time - they lifted off from Salem at 3:30PM just as the Hasty Team reached the most seriously injured patient on the snowfield.

The Camp Sherman Hasty Team is a well trained group of about thirty volunteers from the Sisters area. They pride themselves on being a well trained quick response team. They volunteer for the Jefferson County Sheriff and assist the Deschutes and other teams upon request. Sgt. Foster who is an EMT, and five of his team members were accompanied on this mission by a Sisters Fire Department Paramedic due to the reported serious injuries to one of the climbers.

The Camp Sherman Hasty Team was inserted two at a time by the local Air Life helicopter crew to a low ridge near the glacial tarn at the foot of the Thayer Glacier. As they approached the landing they observed two more slough avalanche paths on the snowfield.

The Hasty Team negotiated three short avalanche prone slopes climbing from the LZ to the climbers. On the lower slopes their steps sank into the snow about 8 to 12 inches according to their report. Then they sank to their waists in soft wet snow down to a very wet layer of firmer footing. They were very concerned about the adhesion of this layer, fearing a slab avalanche release.

As they reached Nancy Miller, the most critically injured, the first Blackhawk arrived with members of the Deschutes County team led by Sgt. Tom Wells. The Blackhawk landed at the LZ of the Air Life helicopter which had returned to Sisters for fuel.

The Camp Sherman Hasty Team reached the upper patient, climbing 1,000 vertical feet above the LZ, just two hours after they were asked to assist!

Nancy Miller was found on top of about thirty feet of avalanche debris consisting of the slough of the recent snow layer broken into large chunks of hard wet snow and loose wet snow. She was stabilized, warmed and packaged on a backboard and lowered on a 300 foot rope equalized to a three picket anchor, to a point where the slope eased and the Blackhawk could affect a hoist rescue.

James Ellers was originally deposited about 300 feet down slope from Miller in about four feet of avalanche debris. He was packaged by the Deschutes County team and carried out my the second Blackhawk. He was less seriously injured.

Due to the recent federal HIPAA. regulations, no information is available from any medical providers on the extent and type of injuries of these climbers. Their condition has been upgraded from serious to fair as of Tuesday, May 24, 2005. The climbing community wishes them a speedy recovery.

Note: This accurate report, obtained Tuesday morning from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Camp Sherman Hasty Team, differs from the official press release of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Press Officer, Lt. Michael Johnston, who characterized these skilled climbers as "hikers" "who walked into the path of an unstable snow slope". The press release also failed to credit the quick response of the Jefferson County Camp Sherman Hasty Team. The four North Sister climbers themselves, have contributed to the concern of climbers and the public by failing to assist the release of the basic facts of their climb. By doing so, they failed to help inform the public of the apparent current avalanche risk.

Report submitted by Robert Speik to the American alpine Club on June 8, 2005

From the top of our Home Page during the Memorial Day Holiday . . .

Cascades Avalanche Warning
Last Sunday experienced climbers made the choice at 1 pm to downclimb a steep east-facing snow slope
on North Sister rather than return along the South-East Ridge, and they were swept away.
Read the Memorial Day weekend avalanche warning

The following text quotes from the Avalanche Warning for Memorial Day Weekend . . .

BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE FORECAST FOR THE OLYMPICS WASHINGTON CASCADES AND MT HOOD AREA

NORTHWEST WEATHER AND AVALANCHE CENTER SEATTLE WASHINGTON
100 PM PDT FRI MAY 27 2005

NWAC Program administered by: USDA-Forest Service with cooperative funding and support from: Washington State Department of Transportation
National Weather Service National Park Service Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Pacific Northwest Ski Area Association
Friends of the Avalanche Center and other private organizations. This forecast applies to back country avalanche terrain below
7000 feet and does not apply to highways or operating ski areas.

WAZ012-017-018-019-025-042-ORZ011-281700-

...A REMINDER TO SKIERS AND CLIMBERS TO CONTINUE TO PAY ATTENTION TO SNOW CONDITIONS AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS THROUGH THE MEMORIAL DAY
WEEKEND...

Winds and significant precipitation at unusually low freezing levels was seen about a week ago. About 1 to 4 inches of water
equivalent was seen during that time on the Cascade volcanoes especially on Mt Baker. This means that up to 1 to 4 feet of snow
was possible during that time at higher elevations in the Washington Cascades particularly on the volcanoes.

Hot weather the past couple days is likely to have already caused wet snow avalanches and to have greatly consolidated the recent
snow on other slopes. But temperatures are also expected to remain very warm through the Memorial Day weekend with some high
based cumulus or thunderstorms possible.

Sunshine and solar effects through the weekend may continue to maintain wet weak snow and possible natural or especially human
triggered wet snow avalanches. Activity should mainly develop on directly sun exposed terrain, primarily east or southeast
exposures during morning and then southwest and west facing terrain during the afternoon, but other aspects may experience
wet snow instability as well. Wet snow avalanches of this type may need little or no disturbance to slide. Wet snow instability
can sometimes be assessed by pushing snow onto test slopes with no one below. Remember that wet snow avalanches may start slow
and small but entrain snow as they descend and become large avalanches. Again these potential conditions are expected mainly
on the Cascade volcanoes.

During past springs in the Northwest, several fatal accidents have occurred from climbers or skiers releasing and being caught
in relatively small avalanches, which subsequently carried the victims over cliffs or into moats or crevasses. Hence backcountry
travelers should try to be aware of terrain and other people above and below intended routes.

Please have a safe and enjoyable spring and summer! The NWAC looks forward to serving you again next winter. Updates to this
statement will be issued as warranted.

Backcountry travelers should be aware that elevation and geographic distinctions are approximate and that a transition
zone between dangers exists. Remember there are avalanche safe areas in the mountains during all levels of avalanche danger.
Contact local authorities in your area of interest for further information.

NWAC weather data and forecasts are also available by calling 206-526-6677 for Washington, 503-808-2400 for the Mt Hood area,
or by visiting our Web site at www.nwac.us. Ferber/Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center

Note: Emphasis mine. Webmeister

Note: Choose to avoid avalanche-prone south and east facing steep snow slopes in the spring, certainly after the sun has warmed a recent layer of wet snow over a consolidated base. --Robert Speik

Posted on CascadeClimbers.com

bdog
Bend, OR posted the following on May 25, 2005
Re: Avalanche/Accident on North Sister

"So even though it is May there are still reports coming in. A lot of the western US, including Colorado in particular, have had very poor refreezing and lack a good melt-freeze base layer. This is also true in the Northwest where the weather is clearing in another day or two. If people venture onto steep slopes in these areas we will see more incident reports. The spring seems unusual many places, as was the winter." --Jim Frankenfield

The above was posted by Jim Frankenfield, Director of CSAC (Cyberspace Avalanche Center www.csac.org) on 5/22/05. The conditions in the Northwest this past weekend were pretty clear to those who understand snow. It is also true that unless one was there it is not possible to really know why this group made the decision to descend the Thayer. Still, it was poor judgment regardless. --bdog

jeffy
Tigard, OR posted the following on June 03, 2005
Re: Avalanche/Accident on North Sister

"Very experienced climbers"

It is too bad experience does not equate good judgment. This was a highly avoidable accident, not a freak act of god which you Mazamas seem to be suggesting by repeatedly pointing out how "experienced" they were. I would have loved to gotten on something steep and high this weekend but the mountains were *screaming* red light conditions up high. I do not consider myself "very experienced", yet it was still crystal clear to me how dangerous conditions were. Please stop dropping the e bomb in a way that suggests this was a freak accident.

One of the kindest gestures I believe we can make to those injured/killed is to learn from their mistakes. Lets try to do that.

I wish them a super fast recovery! --jeffy

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/460550/an/0/page/1/gonew/1#UNREAD

Note: There have been two tragic deaths on steep volcanic soft snow slopes in Oregon, in the two weeks following the events on North Sister - on Mount McLaughlin and Mount Hood. --Webmeister Speik

James "Jae" Ellers posts his account of the incident on CascadeClimbers.com

jae-
Portland, OR posted the following on June 10, 2005
Re: Avalanche/Accident on North Sister

Hey folks,
A quick shout out and big update to you folks.

First, to those well wishers: :-)
And to those armchair quarterbacks: :-(

Now, on to the dealio:

We took off from Pole Creek to do EMC. We came out of the trees a bit north of it and in the dark ended up just to the north on a small ridge above EMC (the Early Morning Couloir - Webmeister). We stopped as the sun was coming up as there was a bunch of cloud cover activity. As the sun rose this seemed to dissipate, and we kept climbing after a very long break.

We hit the N. Ridge a few hundred meters from Glisan. The instant we went from the E. face to the W. it was a whole new ball game. Stonker Styrofoam, dark and solid. We soloed under Glisan, up the bowling alley, to the summit.

I think it was the dark, bomber conditions on the W. face that helped sucker us in. It felt to me like 7:00 am, but must have been more like 10 or so when we summitted. By this time it was bluebird.

It was kind of steep in the bowling alley and we were looking for alternate routes down. We'd seen another party of 2 on Thayer HW, headed down. We could see avy debris from the morning that had released between their descent and ours.

Thought it should be clear after running a couple times....

So we dropped in. After around 1500' of downclimbing we hit the HW and were just starting to poke around for a rap anchor when a small slough just took off and grew pretty big in a few seconds. I had a chance to take a couple steps and it was on me. I dropped on my axe but it pulled me off instantly.

Then it was over the falls without a barrel, down the Thayer HW, inside the slide. I was under for this point and pretty freaked by the roller-coaster ride. During this time I felt my lower legs break. After the slope mellowed I got my arm out, then kind of just peeled the slide off and got my upper body out as it slowed down. I hadn't tumbled, but remained upright, just rotating from self-arrest to sliding on my right hip to sitting on my butt when I stopped. Nothing was buried except my lower legs.

I took stock and realized my left leg was "mildly" broken and right leg was tib-fib. I got my pack off and threw on my DAS, then started dealing with my leg. I tried moving the right foot to splint it but figured I'd wait a bit and see if the cavalry showed up, as it was a bit sensitive.

One partner had gotten pulled down with me and was a 150 yards or so uphill of me. I could just see her out of the corner of my eye.

The guys who didn't get caught immediately called 911 before starting to downclimb. Since they hit the other climber first they stopped and tended to her. They relayed her status to SAR via 911 and then one proceeded to me and helped me splint the right leg. By this time Life Flight had dropped 4 responders on the scene and headed out for another load. As they came in the cavalry arrived in the form of 2 Blackhawks and a bunch of National Guard guys. There were probably 12 folks running around getting us prepped to lift. Before the Blackhawks showed they were lowering Nancy to ease the lift for Life Flight, but then just dropped her in the basket and raised her in the Blackhawk. She was transported to Sisters, transferred to Life Flight and off to St. Charles.

They flew me out in the second Blackhawk, transferred to an ambulance in Sisters, and off to St. Charles.

I was adamant about my gear, and talked both the EMT's and ER staff into taking my gear off the hard way. I managed to avoid destroying any gear.

Then into surgery, getting a plate on the right tibia, screw in the left fibula. Both legs splinted to recover from the trauma. Spent 6+ days at St. Charles with great care.

Now I'm back in PDX, cast on right leg, walking cast on the left. Total of 2 months in the wheelchair, then onto crutches. Looks like I may have some MCL damage on the left knee as well. Just had a MRI yesterday, don't know the results yet.

Overall a lot of good luck and hard work on the part of SAR, Life Flight, Nat'l Guard, Sisters sheriff and rescue squad. Thanks to all those folks who assisted in getting our butts out of there so quickly. Also another big thanks to the staff at St. Charles and all those who have rushed to help me out.
--jaee
-------------
"That's not my monkey"

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/460550/an/0/page/1/gonew/1#UNREAD

Note: Ellers does not comment on the condition of Nancy Miller. We spoke to her on the phone a few days ago and she is doing well, despite her serious injuries. Even experienced climbers can make costly mistakes. --Webmeister 06-14-05

Nancy Miller has recovered and is climbing again according to friends in the Mazamas. --Webmeister 11-27-06

Big spring avalanche on the east side of North Sister on about June 6, 2010