Climber found dead from 200-foot fall after rescuers search for 2 days on Mount Hood

One person died and another was in critical condition after both fell 200 feet at Mount Hood, officials in Oregon said.

The two climbers fell from the mountain in the Leuthold Couloir area on the west side of the mountain shortly after 5 p.m. on March 6, leading officials to launch a two-day search-and-rescue operation to find them, according to a news release from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. One of the climbers called 911 and was able to use a Garmin inReach communication device to reach an emergency contact.

Coordinators from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office’s Search and Rescue team were deployed to Mount Hood, where they set up a command center. Volunteers from various organizations, including Portland Mountain Rescue, the Hood River Crag Rats and Mountain Wave Emergency Communications also stepped in to help, the release said.

Conditions at Mount Hood were “extremely challenging” during the rescue operation, the release said. Rescuers were up against avalanche conditions and high-speed winds blowing between 50 and 70 miles per hour, and there were at least two natural-release avalanches in the area on March 7, deputies said.

When rescuers attempted to reach the climbers by climbing the Leuthold Couloir, they were knocked off their feet by the wind, the release said. The winds blew “heavy sheets of snow” down toward them, and rescuers “sunk to their upper thighs” with every step forward. Rescuers also faced limited visibility due to “blowing snow and dim moonlight” and were traveling on steep terrain, deputies said.

Rescuers made two attempts to reach the climbers — their first, at 11:40 p.m. on March 6, was thwarted due to rough climbing conditions. An expanded team of volunteers and officials, including officials with the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon National Guard, made another attempt on March 7. They also used an airplane and a helicopter to search for the climbers, the release said.

When rescuers found the two climbers, one was declared dead, and the other was badly hurt, the release said.

Officials decided to evacuate the climber who was still alive, as their condition was “critical but ambulatory,” the release said. Rescuers made the “tough decision” to leave the other climber’s body on the mountain, with plans to recover it once conditions improved, deputies said.

Conditions were too difficult to allow for a helicopter to airlift the climber, the release said. Instead, rescuers had to evacuate the climber down the mountain and use a snow cat to transport the climber to medical personnel nearby, deputies said.

From there, the climber was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Four teams, or 32 rescuers altogether, were involved in the March 7 rescue effort, along with a number of volunteers, the release said.

The climbers’ names have not yet been released, the sheriff’s office said.

This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Climber found dead from 200-foot fall after rescuers search for 2 days on Mount Hood."