http://www.nwcn.com/news/Sheriff-reveals-new-details-of-search-for-Mt-Hood-climbers-80707517.html

My hat is off to the volunteers.

It always amazes me when people head up into the mountains to their deaths. Weather is a relatively simple thing to predict nowadays, and yet people head upwards as if they had no cares. Every year 10-20 people in our region do this. I kind of expect it.

I know these folks were experienced, and they had all the proper gear. Maybe their age and avarice for thrills and adventure blinded them. Not sure.

Sad that they were lost so young. They died doing what they loved, but to me it was a waste. No offense meant, just an observation.

This happens too often. Click it, or ticket. Emergency beacons should be manditory at Mnt. Hood and Rainier.

I guess beacons help out the recovery people. I've worn them and knowing that you only have 4-8 minutes if buried it's for them.

Andy I had the same thought. The day they went up there was a biatch of a weather system. My first thought was dumfks. My next was that I felt bad for them.

I'm not necessarily for or against those beacons, but the cost is $150 or so, and there is a full rebate of the purchase price right now.

As a Dad, I have a responsibility to my kids to make it back every time I leave the house. I would personally choose to wear one. There has also been a fair amount of abuse of those beacons, where one party was removed from a wilderness area because they had used it twice for stupid reasons. People will find a reason to abuse everything, I guess.

Beacon abuse would be just another fine. If they had a beacon atleast one may have survived. I think the cost is around $500, if I remember right, which is not that much money to a hunter or fisherman to enjoy what we do. The lodges could even rent them to climbers.

Been saying this for years, and just don't get it.

Different beacons.
The ones climbers use set off a signal that only people with another beacon can locate. You turn a switch to go from reporting to receiving and sweep the ground with it (as the dude still above the snow).
You are talking about the ones where you hit the button and hope the responders come and help out.
In an avalanch scenerio only the the ones I'm talking about will save ya.

Sad story,but like said above.Why in the hell would ya head out in that type of weather??? crazy.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

Got it.

They're pretty much f'd out there in no-man's land if buried in snow. Like you said, not enough time.

If the dead guy they found had a emergency beacon he would probably be alive today, maybe saved another life and also a butt load of search dollars.

I've camped at the timberline a few times in the middle of winter. It's no picnic. If anything goes wrong, you are fuct.

I almost ate it once just walking down to a tree to take a piss. It was a clear sunny day. Problem was the edge of the 20' tree well gave way and down I went. No one could hear me screaming like a little bitch. Only thing that saved me was it was early enough in the day that when people noticed I was gone there was still daylight for someone notice my tracks leading out to a tree and not come back.
Those people should NOT have been allowed to climb in those conditions, or even with that forecast. Climbing permit be damned. Doubt those tools even knew how to dig a snow cave. It seems to happen every year on Hood.

Wife fell down drunk in the backyard, but I was there to drag her ass into the house.

Edit: forgot to add that I am glad you made it out okay.