AVALANCHE, UNSTABLE CONDITIONS, UNSAFE POSITION

Oregon, Mount Hood

On June 20, 1982, an avalanche struck three members of a climbing group at the 3150-meter level of Mount Hood, killing Hugh Hake (45) and injuring Charles Hysmith (31) and Dean Tehee (26).

The avalanche victims were part of a seven-member climbing party from the Ptarmigans, a Vancouver (Washington) club.

One of the climbers, David Fielder (34) of Vancouver, said the party began its ascent around midnight with nine people. Two members of the party decided not to complete the ascent and split off from the group around dawn.

Fielder said that when the group set out, “It was warm and we were a bit apprehensive, but the snow felt good.” According to Fielder, Hysmith and Tehee were attached to the lead rope and Fielder and three other climbers to a second.

At 0730, when the avalanche occurred, the four climbers on the second rope had stopped for a break. The avalanche struck the climbers on the lead rope who were then in an area known as the “hourglass.”

Climbers estimated that the avalanche, which was 12-meters high, started about 300 meters above the group and carried the three about 180–200 meters. Fielder said he could see two of the three stop the flow of ice and rocks.

The second group scrambled down to pull the others from the steep chute in which they had come to a stop. At first, they were unable to locate Hake but did find the two injured men.

Despite the extent of their injuries and because the debris was continuing to cascade down the chute, the other members of the party decided the men had to be moved. They used ropes and pullies to haul them to a rock outcrop in the middle of the chute.

Two members of the second group hiked down to Illumination Rock, arriving about an hour later, where they met another climbing party. One member of that party skied down to Timberline Lodge to summon help. (Source: The Oregonian June 21, 1982)

Analysis

Heavy snow pack, followed by rainfall, saturated the snow; this, followed by freezing at night and concluding with a hot, sunny day, created ideal conditions for potential avalanches. The climbers were on a 60-degree slope and in an hourglass chute. (Souce: The Oregonian, June 21, 1982)