News Release from: Clackamas Co. Sheriff's Office

CLACKAMAS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE COORDINATES SEARCH FOR TWO MISSING CLIMBERS ON MT. HOOD

Posted: January 15th, 2008, 4:38 a.m.

UPDATE: The missing climbers were found safe on Tuesday morning (Jan. 15) and guided out of the wilderness by rescuers.

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MT. HOOD -- Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue (SAR) Coordinators responded to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood to look for two overdue climbers.

At approximately 9 p.m. Monday evening (Dec. 14), the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office began receiving reports about two experienced male climbers who were missing. The climbers had planned to return to Timberline Lodge after their Mt. Hood ascent around 3 p.m. Monday afternoon.

SAR personnel learned the two overdue mountaineers had initially planned to ascend the mountain on a westerly approach route, then to descend the mountain on the west.

SAR Coordinators arrived at Timberline around midnight -- and confirmed that the overdue climbers' automobile was present in the Timberline parking lot.

Both male climbers are described as experienced mountaineers in their late 20s. They are reportedly equipped with a cell phone. As of midnight, SAR Coordinators had established no cellular phone contact with this climbing party.

Unfortunately, these two climbers are not equipped with a "mountain locater unit" that would enable rescue personnel to pinpoint their precise location.

As of 4:30 a.m. Jan. 15, cell-phone "ping" activity -- used to targeting the missing climbers' phone -- is not producing credible or reliable information for SAR Coordinators.

The present temperature at Timberline Lodge is 10 degrees with heavy snow conditions, with the wind described as blowing sideways.

A Clackamas County Sheriff's Office SAR Coordinator reports that these severe weather conditions make this an unsafe time to deploy SAR personnel into the field to search for the missing climbers.

SAR Coordinators will confer with Portland Mountain Rescue Personnel and wait for the present weather conditions to abate.

Eight members of Portland Mountain Rescue (PMR) were alerted and summoned to assist with this SAR effort on Mount Hood. These elite personnel are scheduled to arrive at the Timberline Lodge Command Post at 5 a.m. this morning (Jan. 15). In addition, communication specialists representing Mountain Wave Emergency Communications are already on-scene. Also, four members of the 304th U.S. Air Force Rescue Squadron are deploying to Timberline to assist with this mission.

At this time, no SAR personnel will be deployed as a result of the harsh weather conditions on Mt. Hood.

[END]

Contact Info: Jim Strovink, Detective