Why Is Mt. Hood America’s Deadliest Peak?

Two recent accidents on Mt. Hood have many questioning whether Oregon’s high-profile mountain may be America’s most dangerous peak to climb.  The experienced climber’s perspective of Mt. Hood has always been one of a decent challenge, but under good circumstances, one of the easier alpine peaks to summit.  Hundreds (and probably thousands) climb Mt. Hood every year.  Most of these people have a great time and summit without a problem.  Deaths on Mt. Hood are quite rare given the amount of people who climb it and how popular this peak has become over the past 10 years.  So is Mt. Hood really that dangerous, or has it just been the victim of the media giving it a bad reputation?

Over the course of 25 years, 36 deaths have been recorded on Mt. Hood.  Much of these deaths are attributed to only a few factors.  The first would be weather.  Winds can typically reach 100 mph and storms from the Pacific have a tendancy to sweep in without warning.  The three deaths from December of 2006 are attributed to just such a storm.  All three climbers perished after getting stuck in a fast moving storm that blocked rescuers from being able to locate them early in the search.

The most recent death on Hood is attributed to falling ice.  Brooke Colvin was recently hit by falling ice while climbing with her husband.  The impact forced Brooke to fall more than 400 feet.  She and her husband were climbing in an area known as “The Pearly Gates”.  The same area where another fall took place just a week prior.  The Pearly Gates is a gully feature found along the trail of one of Mt. Hood’s easiest routes.  It also happens to be the single-most deadliest area on Mt. Hood.

How could something be considered the ‘easies’ and ‘deadliest’ at the same time?

This goes to our third factor and the one that Backbacker Magazine blogger Ted Alverez recently took up on Backpacker’s ‘The Pulse‘ blog.  Inexperience.  People do not come to Mt. Hood with an abundance of mountain climbing experience.  It has become so accessable in recent years that many people looking for a thrill on a big peak have heard that this is one of the easiest to climb.  They don’t mind giving it a shot.  These same people usually show up and think Mt. Hood is going to be a walk in the park.  Many of them lack any sort of equipment and very little experience.  If something goes wrong, generally it goes wrong in a big way.

Not every climber is inexperienced on Mt. Hood.  The three climbers involved in the accident in 2006 had much experience and were using Mt. Hood as a training course before a planned trip to Mt. Everest.  What they lacked was the proper equipment for sitting out a storm.  They thought it was going to be an easy up-down, then back home trip,  that would take only a few hours.  Mt. Hood had other plans.

No peak is safe to climb.  There may be some that are easier than others, but all peaks are dangerous and should be respected with safety in mind.  Yes, they are beautiful.  They offer a nice challenge to those looking for such.  You should know exactly what you are up against, what kind of weather you MIGHT run into, then plan your trip accordingly.  Mt. Hood, like any peak, can be a dangerous place to get stuck.  Know your limits and know your peak.

Mt. Hood Accident Claims Life Of Female Climber

A Female climber has been killed on Mt. Hood.  Brooke Colvin, who was climbing with her husband, was hit by ice, forcing her to fall more than 400 feet.  Her husband was able to climb down to her, but said that she died instantly.  The latest accident on Mt. Hood has authorities putting out warnings to climbers in the area.  The focus is on the warm temperatures that have made the ice and snow very unstable in the region.  A rescue effort was conducted on Saturday (which I covered here), and today’s death makes the warning all the more plausible.

From the Associated Press:

Strovink said Stavn saw his 31-year-old wife hit by falling ice and thrown down the mountain. Strovink said Stavn was able to get to her, but she died instantly. Rescuers were trying to recover the body.

Stavn was able to get back down to Timberline Lodge from the area of the accident, known as the Pearly Gates.

This accident occured in the same area as Saturday’s.  There have been 36 deaths reported on Mt. Hood in the past 25 years.  Let’s keep those involved in our thoughts and prayers.

Former Mt Hood Hero Takes A Fall On Mt. Hood

OregonLive is reporting that a climbing accident that occured on Saturday involved a climber who helped in search and rescue efforts during  a tragic climbing accident seven years prior.  Michael Lemming, who is a volunteer with the Portland Mountain Rescue, took a fall on Saturday while ice climbing near the spot that the first accident occured.  That first accident resulted in three deaths and a crashed rescue helicopter.  Lemming was working to help rescue another climber when the chopper crashed near where he was working.

Seven years later, Michael Lemming would need the same support that he had offered in that first rescue.  Luckily, Michael is still alive and currently in a hospital near Mt. Hood.  His fall occured near a feature called ‘The Pearly Gates.” (Kind of cryptic)  He says that ice gave way under him resulting in his fall.  The same rescue efforts that Michael usually takes part in, probably helped save his own life.  He mentioned that he finally had the chance to witness the amazing jobs that people like himself do on a daily basis.

To read the full story of this interesting rescue, I suggest you check out OregonLive.

The accident that occured seven years ago is still widely searched for information.  Nine climbers would fall into a crevasse.  One pulled down by the other, till all nine had fell.  Three climbers died.  During the Search and Rescue efforts, one of the main helicopters providing support would crash into Mt. Hood.  Stories of this accident still widely circulate among the climbing community and those who took part in the rescue.  Luckily, Michael’s rescue had a better outcome and he will live to tell his interesting story.  It is nice to see a good outcome in the news.  The injuries sustained by Michael Lemming have not been reported, but it is known that he is talking to the media about his experiences and says that he hopes to rejoin the Portland Mountain Rescue volunteers after he recuperates.

Mt. Hood 2006 Update: Third Search For Brian Hall and Jerry Cooke Begins

A third major search effort has began in the continued efforts to locate the bodies of Jerry “Nikko” Cooke and Brian Hall on Mt. Hood.  In December of 2006 three climbers became stranded in a storm on Mt. Hood.  The body of Kelly James was discovered in December, Hall and Cooke were never found.

The search efforts Saturday involved two teams that included more than 57 climbers and rescue personnel.  The teams spread out searching two seperate glaciers and many crevasses that it is thought the two climbers might have fell into in December.

Searchers were no closer to finding Brian Hall and Jerry Cooke at the end of Saturday’s search.  Teams will be back on Mt. Hood Sunday.

The summer sun is hampering efforts a bit on Mt. Hood though.  As the ground begins to heat up and the snow starts to melt, it makes things really unstable on the peak.  By early October, snow will once again be falling.

Searchers did mention that Saturday was their best bet in finding Hall and Cooke and that Sunday’s mission would pretty much be a ‘training session’ for the search and rescue teams involved.

To read moe about this story, click HERE

An Adventurist Editorial: The Stephen Fossett Debates

We should have all seen this one coming from a mile away–

Going into days 5 and 6 for the ongoing search of legendary adventurer Steven Fossett, people are starting to take their focus off of the search and more onto the debates surrounding these types of events when they occur–

First it began with how great of an adventurer Steven Fossett is.  Over the past few days this focus has slowly moved to the motives of a “Risk-Taker” and if Stephen Fossett’s family should be charged for the search currently taking place.

Both of these items are highly debatable and both of them generally always surround a high profile search, especially if the person involved was also a part of anything that has a certain risk-factor to it or has been the focus of media attention in the past.

Personally, I began taking notice of these debates around December of last year when three climbers became lost on Mt. Hood.  The ensuing search, that garnered massive media coverage, soon became a debate for a cause. 

It may be the cause of the general media’s focus to always provide something new to a highly viewed (and rated) story.  Running out of new leads, they hop back on the bus and get everyone involved in raging debates that once again spark interest to previous stories of the same general nature.

Two questions always emerge:  Should the families of the person being searched for have to pay for this service?  And secondly–the risk involved.  How could they do this to their families and loved ones?  What is it about risk that triggers these people to always endanger their lives? Read more

Steve Fossett: Your Thoughts, Your Views, Your Prayers

 Join the Stephen Fossett Discussion in the Adventurist Forums 

In December of 2006, tragedy struck on Mt. Hood.  During the ensuing coverage that myself, as well as many others provided, I opened up a forum for you, the viewers, to post your thoughts, views, and prayers.   This became such a popular area that family and friends of the stranded climbers came here for support and encouragement.

At this time, as the search for world class adventurer Steven Fossett goes into Day 5, I am once again opening up a post for you, the readers. Read more

The Adventurist Forums Take Off!! Adventurist Polls Launched!

I posted yesterday that I have started my own Adventurist “Community” so to speak.  It is open and it is Progressing.

The first member of The Adventurist Forums happened to be my good buddy Kraig from over at The Adventure Blog.  He also gets the designation of making the first post in the community to get things kicked off proper and well.

So what is so exciting about The Adventurist Forums?  Now we all have a place to share our thoughts and views!  All of the following topics have their own areas:

• Climbing
• Mountain Biking
• Hiking
• Camping
• Kayaking
• Training
• Adventure Racing
• Expedition Notes
• Extreme Sports
• Mt. Hood
• Mt. Everest
• The Environment
• General Sports
• Random News

As you can see, there is quite a bit there to go through.  Feel free to post what you like in the areas that suit your interest.  Have a question?  Post it, someone will have an answer!

Here are some of the good things being said about The Adventurist Forums so far:

Awesome! Nice move adding the forums Jason. Hopefully they’ll become quite a place for all kinds of discussion.

And Another:

for the record, this is probably one of the coolest forums I’ve ever been on, looks wise at least.

The rest will come in time, I have no doubt!

I have recently introduced The Advenurist Polls as well.  The first Poll is up.  Stop over and check it out.  I will be using the results of these Polls on The Adventurist.  I will be posting a new one weekly.  Should be fun to see what everyone out there is thinking.  Now stop on over, sign up, and take part in hopefully what will become the best Adventure Forum out there–The Adventurist Forums.

The Adventurist Unleashes The Wrath of The Adventurist Forums!

The Adventurist has taken another step in evolution.  No, I’m not going bald! 

What I have done is created a place for all of us Adventure Lovers to come together and discuss what matters most.

You like kayaking?  Mountain Biking? Climbing? Going on a great Adventure of your own?  Now we have that community.  I am very proud to introduce The Adventurist Forums!

I have wanted to do something like this for close to a year now.  I became interested in what the Forums can do, and what can take place and be discussed through my good friend Alan Arnette’s great site.

His forums have essentially let him get in touch with his readers and offer them a more personal glimpse into mountain climbing.

I am now offering up the same–but we will be exploring the whole world of Adventure–From Sports (climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, adventure racing) to Training to Mt.’s Hood and Everest and beyond.

I have also placed in topics of interest for all of us..The world of Sports?  General News?  I’ve got it all..We all know that Adventure Lovers are very much multi-faceted, and it is claimed..smarter than most.  (Ok, I made that one up!)

Anyways, I am hoping that this will become a great new feature here at The Adventurist in the days, weeks, and years ahead.

Stop by, Check it out, and post your thoughts on what’s on your mind.  It is that easy.  Hopefully we’ll be having some great discussions..and perhaps even the possibility of “Poles” in the future. (Not the North or South silly, but voting polls!)

So swing on over to The Adventurist Forums and check it out.  I am just wondering who the first post will be from–could be a historic landmark in the world of The Adventurist.

Also, if you don’t see a topic on there that you would like to see, I am very open to suggestions.  This will be our community–built by all of us.  Contact me through the Submit & Contact page found at the top of your screen.

I will be adding a permanent link to the site in a bit.  That way you can just “click it” from The Adventurist.

And..as if this weren’t exciting enough…I may just have another BIG announcement tomorrow..so stop back by and check in tomorrow as well.  Now get over to The Adventurist Forums and have some fun.

Mt. Hood: Deep Blue Zone Updated with New Info and Second Printing

 

Hubert A. Allen’s great book covering the December 2006 tragedy on Mt. Hood has been updated and given a second printing.  Mt. Hood: The Deep Blue Zone will now feature a big piece of information that the media has had wrong about the snowcaves on Mt. Hood.

Mr. Allan has recently had the opportunity to journey to Mt. Hood, and climb it, and has come back with some startling new information about what the media was percieving and what the truth actually was.

I would venture and tell you of the new revelations, but Mr. Allen is the expert.  Go buy his book and find out!  This book is available at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, BooksaMillion, and HubertAllen.com.  If you are wanting a signed copy though, you are going to have to go through Mr. Allan’s personal site.

I recently conducted a full interview with Mr. Allen that was featured here on The Adventurist.  This interview revealed an update on what has been taking place in the months preceeding this tragic incident, as well as some personal insight into what actually took place during this time.  Definately interesting and worth the read.  I also done a feature on the first printing of Mr. Allen’s book, Mt. Hood:  The Deep Blue Zone, that might be of interest as well.  It will tell you a bit more about the book itself.

If the subject of the Mt. Hood tragedy interests you in the slightest, I highly recommend this read.  Mr. Allen has spent a considerable amount of time researching the facts and the media, deciphering what was true and fact.

I am only hoping that this second printing of Mt Hood: The Deep Blue Zone can be attributed to the fact of his coverage here at The Adventurist.  Seriously though, it does show that this subject continues to be of interest to not only climbers, but the public in general.  As far as I know, this is the only book out there with everything from this incident.  Check it out.

The Next Big Thing: The Adventurist Teams Up With Adventure Sports Weekly

The old saying goes –when opportunity knocks, you had better answer the door.  Well, in a sense I have answered the door.  A couple of days ago Editor Wina Sturgeon from Adventure Sports Weekly contacted myself and was interested in discussing what I do here at The Adventurist.

After a lengthy discussion about our sites, our future goals, and what we are both looking to achieve, it became real evident that we have more than a little in common.

Adventure Sports Weekly is destined to not only be the first of it’s type on the Internet, but also a leader in the Adventure Sports industry.  Adventure Sports Weekly, the Brainchild of Editor Wina Sturgeon, who many of you might know through her extensive Olympic coverage for Sports Illustrated,  will be the first Online Magazine devoted solely to the Outdoor sporting world. 

I have been very open and straight-forward with all of you, my readers, about trying to put together the best site on the internet dealing with Adventure.  Keeping that in mind, we have decided in a sense to team-up.

Over the course of the next few days and weeks ahead The Adventurist and Adventure Sports Weekly will be sharing some content.  Their dedication to the sanctioned sports side of the outdoor world, IE..Mountain Bike Racing, BMX, Skateboarding, Climbing ect..will actually be bringing something to the table that I have desperately been wanting to add.  Adventure Sports Weekly offers top notch sporting news live from the field, allowing for exclusive coverage and content that just isn’t found anywhere else on the Internet.

I will also be working with Adventure Sports Weekly offering new articles, and maybe even a weekly column I have in the works in the world of Adventure.

This is a very exciting opportunity for myself personally.  I have dedicated myself to the Adventure world and writing.  With Adventure Sports Weekly I now have the opportunity to not only garner a bigger readership, but to also bring about a new direction….a bigger direction that hopefully will help build upon what I have already been able to do.

The adventure sporting field is getting ready to explode.  I have done this now for almost a year, and just about daily there are new sites emerging.  More coverage is being given in the media to these athletes that have pretty much remained under the table.  Just a couple of years ago, you would have never had the opportunity to see JEEP: King of the Mountain on a nationally televised program.  It is building.  It is growing.  More people are noticing and the money is slowly starting to come into these fantastic outdoors sports.

I am happy to say that I am very comfortable in knowing that I have aligned myself up with perhaps the leader in news coverage for these types of events.  Hopefully this relationship will flourish and all of us involved can bring even more exposure to the great athletes and sporting events throughout the years to come.

So what exactly does Adventure Sports Weekly bring to the table?

• It is ran by one of the top Sports Journalists in the world.  Editor Wina Sturgeon has written for Sports Illustrated and The New York Times, to only name two.  She has nearly 40 years of experience at being at the top of the game.  She knows how to do things, and do them right.
• Experience.  Being a leader in the sports writing industry, Wina Sturgeon brings her vast knowledge to a growing field.  She automatically brings  her credibility and dedication to an area that has been lacking in national coverage.
• National Coverage.  Simply put.
• Adventure Sports Weekly is currently the only publication of its kind on the Internet.  It is new with a very big potential in the future to not only lead the way, but to be THE way.
• Future.  Adventure Sports Weekly is currently developing a system to bring top-notch video coverage of these sporting events as they happen–this will make it not only the leader in the Adventure Sports industry, but will also raise the bar on what the internet can bring to you, the viewers.
• Credibility.  I have been straight-forward in telling all of you my eventual goals of writing in this industry full-time.  This gives me a great opportunity to work with some of the best people in the industry and hopefully build on what I have already been able to accomplish.  It is a fantastic opportunity and one that I never would have been able to do without all of the continued support and guidance from you, my readers.  So THANK-YOU very much!
• Oh yeah– and Lastly, Adventure Sports Weekly is FREE.  Can’t get much better than that.  All the great news coverage and articles are completely free to you the reader.  Eventually this will also include the great video coverage that is currently in developement.

I am hoping to recieve your continued support and that you will enjoy what the future has in store.  The Adventurist will still be covering everything it normally does…with a bonus of adding new content from time to time from some very special events.  Also, if you enjoy my writing, keep your eyes peeled to Adventure Sports Weekly, as I will be bringing some further exciting articles their way in the very near future.  Let’s all show Adventure Sports Weekly our support in what they are trying to achieve and welcome them in to The Adventurist family.

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