fern Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 (edited) NOTE This is a closed thread, the second of two relating to the recent search on Mt Hood. This thread is not open to comment or additions, but is kept at the top of the forum as a source of information and chronology for those interested in events and research. Off White - moderator at Cascadeclimbers.com _____________________________________________________________ I am locking the other thread due to it getting to an unmanageable length. Please continue here. Same rules. old thread click here Edited December 20, 2006 by Off_White
hoodie Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 In case anyone is curious what its like to be just above the Pearly Gates while a Chinook is hovering just above the summit, check this... Hang on Iain!! aDHYKk_LL0s
Christy Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 (edited) Hi all- I'm new here...have been following this and found you guys after a referral from the media. Was just reading the Wikipedia entry on Mt Hood and it says this: "On December 18, 2006, all three climbers that were missing are now confirmed dead. Yesterday from the above date, they found Kelly James' body. The next day the others were dead after falling down the slope. This is very tragic and everyone is extremely sorry for these three families". The last i heard, the sherriff had announced that they *may* have fallen. Can anyone confirm this (None of the news sources are showing anything like this), or is Wikipedia off it's rocker? Edited December 18, 2006 by Christy
Lambone Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 "hi mom" hahah, classic, that looks scary! wiki is whacked
Christy Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 wiki is whacked I hope so...I'm waiting on legit news sources for info of course, but it was unbelievably un-nerving to read nonetheless.
ClimbingPanther Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 Christy, you are aware that quoting Wikipedia is akin to quoting CascadeClimbers.com, right? For most topics, it is anonymously editable by anybody with internet access. I doubt they have the real facts if what you say isn't supported by any of the news outlets.
Lambone Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 Sherrif Wampler shouldn't have said anything about an accident or them falling. it is speculations and this missinformation is the outcome.
telafree Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 Wow, that is an amazing clip of the mountain. The wikipedia entry was probably added by a random person. Anyone can add anything to a wikipedia entry.
tami Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 If the other climbers were alive and had not fallen or something happen to them don't youy think someone would have seen them coming down the mountain yesterday on a good day. not trying to be morbite just realistic and the poor families need closer and i pray they get that and don't have to what until the spring.Iam still praying.
Phil Jones Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 (edited) Phil you have made you point enough times. Please stop now. Edited December 18, 2006 by fern
Christy Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 Christy, you are aware that quoting Wikipedia is akin to quoting CascadeClimbers.com, right? For most topics, it is anonymously editable by anybody with internet access. I doubt they have the real facts if what you say isn't supported by any of the news outlets. Well aware..that would be why I said I'm waiting for a form of official confirmation before believing it and why I asked you good people since you're following this closely too.
Aubrie Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 Hello. I, like many others found this forum on kgw.com. First and foremost, thank you all for letting so many of us view and post in this thread and others I would assume also, who are following this. I'm sure some of you are a bit..irratated maybe.. that so many people have come here to post or even critize some things that climbers do or don't do. I do not wish to add to the frustration so this will probably be my only post. I'm not a climber and probably never will be one, terribly afraid of heights, but you guys all have my respect. To someone like me, being a climber seems to take a lot of courage. But others may not see it that way. At any rate, be safe all of you in the future. My fiancee and I have both been following this thread for the past week. We're both praying and sending out those "positive vibes" to the family and friends of these three climbers. It was very sad to hear about the loss of Kelly. We hope for better outcomes for Brian and Nikko. Our hearts and thoughts go out to all the family and friends. Stay strong in this hard time. Things will be ok even if it doesn't seem like it right now. To those of you involved in the search, stay safe, stay warm and have hope. You guys are doing all you can for them and it's a great thing that you volunteer to help people when they get into trouble. Bring em home guys. -Jessie
cartomat Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 Sherrif Wampler also mentioned finding a rope cut with a knife...
selkirk Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 Nice work mods Hopefully you banninated him.
finger of fate Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 Actually, I think the sheriff said it "looked" like it had been cut by a knife. He didn't know for sure.
alembical Posted December 18, 2006 Posted December 18, 2006 (edited) Thanks Fern! For those who have never visited this forum before, sorry about Phil Jones. The regulars here are very helpful considerate people but with any open forum, you have to take the good with the bad. Alembical (long-time viewer and very appreciative of this forum and all the hard work the rescurers are doing) Edited December 19, 2006 by alembical
sean_beanntan Posted December 19, 2006 Posted December 19, 2006 To answer a question. It seems that the climbers did summit because faint tracks were found near the summit plateau leading towards the Wyeast Route. Most likely they were not trying to descend down the Pearly Gates (as per news reports) but looking for the Cooper Spur route. They miscalculated (got lost) and descended too far SE to the Wyeast Route instead and dropped approx 350 ft. There they discovered their error, traversed East about 150ft and built a snow cave (big enough for 3) to await the next morning. The next day James remained in the cave, one or two? climbers traversed further East on very steep terrain towards the Cooper Spur crest. There they continued their decent another 100ft down the crest. They then chose to go further to skiers left beyond the crest where they established another smaller cave and the rap anchors on steep terrain. After that.... is a mystery that left behind one backpad pad, some pickets? and 2 technical axes in the cave. There is evidence that the rope was cut. Please appreciate the conditions that these climbers were facing. To error is human and maybe some were made that day. But its also likely that they fought long and hard to make it down. They operated for a time under extreme conditions and as a human being and as a climber I have to respect that.
high_on_rock Posted December 19, 2006 Posted December 19, 2006 The sheriff also implied that climbers would typically not be cutting the rope with a knife. In light of the popularity of “Touching the Void” and it’s “cutting the rope” implications, Just wanted to tell some of the non-climbers that there are often reasons to cut off pieces of the climbing rope, so not to read too much into that comment by the Sheriff. Climbers often cut pieces off the rope for anchors and such, or merely to make two shorter ropes out of a long one, so that cut rope may not mean much. E
skiingislife725 Posted December 19, 2006 Posted December 19, 2006 The sheriff just said in a press conference that Kelly had injured his arm some time during the climb.
Phil Jones Posted December 19, 2006 Posted December 19, 2006 In any case, I'm still hoping and praying for the two climbers as well as those who are bravely searching for them.
Recommended Posts