Accident on Hood

[CraigA]

So, anyone got any info on the death on Mt. Hood? I've heard someone tried snowboarding from the summit down the North Face or Cooper Spur (who I heard it from was unsure).

[CraigA]

Hey I found it.

 

http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=46521

 

Craig

 

[ 05-24-2002, 10:59 PM: Message edited by: CraigA ]

[rock-ice]

Any idea why he left his gear on top?

[Rodchester]

"Munoz had planned to board down this route, and return to the summit the same way."

 

But then why would he leave "all of his climbing equipment, including his helmet on the summit ...?"

[MtnHigh]

A tragedy indeed. However, it seems odd that Munoz was willing to snowboard difficult terrain that he did not ascend. By doing so, he was unaware of the conditions. There were certainly sections of hard snow or ice to negotiate. I wonder if he attempted the descent without an axe or self arrest device. He probably did not descend with an axe because he reportedly left his gear on the summit.

[RedMonk]

tradgedy for sure...but what the hell was he thinking.....how was he gonna climb that without his gear.....and how would he have known what the heck he was gonna be skiing if he had never done the route ever let alone that day in those particular conditions.... sorry for the loss...but geesh he was asking for trouble....

[cuz]

A couple of friends and I went up Hood Saturday morning. The weather above the lifts was crap, but when we got to the summit we noticed a pack which didn't appear to have an owner. We assummed it belonged to Munoz. I don't recall seeing an ice axe or cramp-ons on the outside of the pack, so I'd have to assume he either took his gear with him or didn't bring it in the first place. We left the pack there.

 

You'd have to be an accomplished extreme skiier or snowboarder to descend the entire Cooper Spur route. I can't say how accomplished a boarder Munoz was, but it does seem like a bad idea to descend a route like that without having first ascended it.

 

Cuz

[iain]

Remarkable how Cooper Spur keeps its quota almost every year. Who knows if even an axe would have helped him. He fell on the steeps right near the top. The sad part is it was apparently a last-minute decision over just skiing the south side.