Overdue climber on Hood

[MJaso]

FYI incase anyone might have some information.

 

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Climber-missing-on-Mt-Hood-138819984.html

 

[jonathan schrock]

Other climbers on Mount Hood told authorities they saw Townsley descending at 8:30am at Crater Rock, near the top of the mountain but below the summit.

"The people who saw him (Townsley) made it back down," said Deputy Nate Thompson, of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. "There's concern about a possible fall, or he got off the main route and is lost."

Strange area to NOT make it back to the parking lot from.

 

Hoping for the best.

[Couloir]

Water's been putting the hurt on some of the inane commenters.

[Water]

thanks couloir. that he slipped down into white river maybe supports the futility of any electronics preventing an accident. A tool.

 

 

damn. absolutely heartbreaking news. devastating seeing his website with his family and everything.

 

[jon]

He was a cc.comer too

[CaleHoopes]

"DUDE.. you don't climb ALONE" - idiot commenters is right. Whatever.

 

Hey, didn't I understand that PLB's were required on Hood? Did I misread that somewheres?

[skeletor]

Seeing that photo of the two kids on his website is heartbreaking. My condolences to family and friends.

 

 

[CaleHoopes]

My condolences too. Sad day on Hood.

[Hampton]

Jared was my climbing partner and a great guy. He was a talented photographer and a whiz with technology. He was an infrequent poster here on CC. I weep for his wife and two young children. I'll miss him.

[ivan]

He was a cc.comer too

his handle?

 

sorry about your friend, hampton - what can the board do to help?

[ScaredSilly]

Bummer, sounds like the winds were harsh wonder if it was a fall or hit with ice? Sorry to those who knew Jared.

 

 

 

BTW if makes people feel any better, copy paste some of the inane comments to this search and rescue story ;-).

 

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/02/mushroom_pickers_lost_for_six/8001149/comments-newest.html

[LonelySummit]

Water, I have not read much beyond the AP press release; Did Jared have an ice tool or a standard axe? It's such a tough stop on hard ice with either. I feel for his wife and kids; this will be a tough time for them.

[rmncwrtr]

Jared was my climbing partner and a great guy. He was a talented photographer and a whiz with technology. He was an infrequent poster here on CC. I weep for his wife and two young children. I'll miss him.

 

So sorry, Hampton. Hugs. I visited Jared's website. Really enjoyed looking at his photographs. My condolences to you, his wife, kids, family and friends.

[basecamp]

Yes sad day on Hood as I also climbed with Jered. Long live Jack Mt! We must learn folks. 3 falls in 3 days. Keep the poons and helment on and the axe in your hand. Be aware of fall lines into WR versus towards MH. Its tough out there right now. Be aware. Lets lift one to Jered!

[sean_beanntan]

Sorry Basecamp, must have been a tough day out there for you.

 

 

[B Deleted_Beck]

I really thought that's where he'd be, and on my way up, I shined my headlamp down there the whole way up the ridge, but the beam just wasn't bright enough. I passed within 200' of him down there, thinking if anywhere, that's where he'd be, and just never saw him.

 

Later on descent, I stood on probably the same spot he'd fallen from, and watched them link him up and chopper him off the mountain for the last time...

 

RIP, brother.

[iceaxe23]

Oh this is sad...

 

 

[thinair28]

Sad story. He seems like a stand-up guy with a beautiful family. My condolences.

[prussik1]

Very sad, indeed. Neither PLBs nor the MLU are required on Mt. Hood, or any other Cascade volcano (the MLU is only for Mt. Hood), but not a bad idea. In case of, takes the search out of search and rescue.

 

Good thoughts go out to Jared, his family, his friends, and all those who are connected to him...

[goatboy]

First of all, condolences and hope that as always, we can continue to learn from these tragedies.

 

This next point may be best offered in a separate thread, but responding to the last post: Offering PLB's as an optional resource is great, but some believe that once a land manager requires them, that it could trigger corresponding obligation by that agency to provide response/rescue.

 

Rad wrote a great article covering some of these disputes awhile back in LINK NWMJ. A quote from that article:

 

Would there be unintended consequences of requiring climbers to carry a signaling device? Yes. If climbers are required to carry signaling devices this implies that rescuers are required to save them when they get in trouble. This is problematic because conditions, manpower, and resources determine when a safe, effective rescue can be made. Removing the ability of SAR leaders to determine when and how to run SARs could increase the costs of SAR operations without increasing climber safety.

 

Perhaps the biggest concern about requiring climbers to carry signaling devices is that it would cause a shift from climbers being responsible for their own safety to rescuers being responsible for their safety. This is likely to produce several unintended and undesirable consequences that will: 1 - make climbers less diligent about assembling enough fitness, skill, experience, information, and equipment to tackle challenging climbs safely; 2 - cause climbers of all abilities to take more risks if they believe they can easily call in a rescue; and 3 - increase legal liabilities of rescuers and thereby increase the costs associated with SAR operations. These negative side-effects could completely offset any benefit derived from laws requiring climbers to carry signaling devices in the mountains.

 

The essence of these concerns was conveyed in a 2007 New York Times column written by Jim Whittaker, the first American to climb Mount Everest. Whittaker explained that, “We need to meet the wilderness on its own terms. Laws and locators cannot replace careful attention, knowledge, and personal responsibility.”

 

Edited February 8, 2012 by goatboy

[Mtguide]

Yes sad day on Hood as I also climbed with Jered. Long live Jack Mt! We must learn folks. 3 falls in 3 days. Keep the poons and helment on and the axe in your hand. Be aware of fall lines into WR versus towards MH. Its tough out there right now. Be aware. Lets lift one to Jered!

 

My sincerest condolences for the loss of your, and our friend. Although I didn't know Jered, in the fellowship of the climbing community, whether local or international, the loss of one is a loss to all.

 

I'm still somewhat in the dark as to the cause of this accident. From what I'm gathering from this post and others, had he removed his crampons and helmet? Was high wind a factor?

 

I lost two close friends years ago, who had removed their crampons after summiting a peak in the Kichatna Spires. Although there was fairly solid snow cover, as they began the descent they hit a large sheet of ice just under the surface and were unable to arrest. In that instance wind was not a factor. But the winds were pretty steady on Hood during the time of this accident, and I'm wondering just what the combined factors may have been that led to this tragic loss. As you say, we need to learn if we're to avoid this kind of accident on what should have been a relatively safe and easy descent.

 

Since Jered was alone, we can't know his state of alertness, fatigue, etc. as he reached the area he fell from. But it's not uncommon for climbers of all ages and levels of experience to sometimes relax their caution and vigilance as they move onto easier ground, with the crux of the climb well behind them and more or less hand-in-the-pocket travel the rest of the way.

 

And unfortunately, often the greater the level of skill and experience, the more likely this is. A number of world class alpinists have died because of this kind of lapse in a variety of situations. Among them was none other than Todd Skinner, who neglected to replace an old and dangerously frayed harness. As Rebuffat writes in "On Snow and Rock";

 

"With the possibility of being put to a severe test, the equipment must be in perfect condition before every climb.Every detail is important. There should be no boots, breeches or windjackets with stitching coming apart,no Vibram soles coming unstuck,no pullovers, jackets or socks too short. The least negligence, such as a glove with a small hole in it, may be a starting point for serious trouble."

 

Finally, it's a simple fact that the great majority of both survived and fatal accidents occur during the descent. You are simply still on the climb until you're back to the car. The last climbing friend I lost was on Hood. He fell descending Cooper Spur on a beautiful, perfect climbing day about 8 years ago.

Edited February 9, 2012 by Mtguide

[B Deleted_Beck]

I have no part of any of this, and have no more info on details than anyone, but I was up there that day, and the strong east wind she'd been getting had totally scoured the east side of Triangle Moraine, exposing all the gnarly rock he would have hit on the way down, and also destabilizing the top of the ridge in some spots. I encountered a couple of spots where the wind had under-cut a crust of ice/dirt, making it look solid, but in fact just a crust over nothing. A moment's lapse of attention, could could have walked into one and had it break away.

 

Since the ridgetop is also my favorite line for both ascent and descent of the SS, I noticed this and made it a point to watch my step carefully.

[chris54]

I just read that his passing was due to a head injury. Does anyone know if he was wearing a helmet? This is very sad and my thoughts go out to friends and family.

[Water]

chris where did you read that? can you provide link pls?

thanks

[chris54]

http://www.kptv.com/story/16947105/climber-died-of-head-trauma

 

Not much detail.