SLIP ON SNOW, SKIING, INEXPERIENCE

Oregon, Mount Hood

On Saturday, April 24, 1982, after a group spent nine hours climbing and preparing to ski from the summit of Mount Hood, it took only a minute of skiing for most of the party to be placed in life-threatening jeopardy.

One skier lost control on the steep, icy slope above Crater Rock. She slid 50 meters before the ice ax in her pack miraculously dug in and stopped the skid.

The leader of the group saw the mishap and went to help. He lost control and slid 30 meters before crashing into some rocks. Somehow, he managed to slide between the large rocks and take the brunt of the impact on his pack. He escaped unhurt but shaken.

While this was going on, Terry Richard was hung up in three parallel ice-coated ridges, unable to go left, right or down. The only escape was to take off the skis and walk up. A mistake would have meant a 300-meter slide down a 30-degree slope.

Another skier managed to avoid trouble by making big traverses across the steep slope, the only safe way to descend. The fifth skier, after witnessing the mishaps, wisely dug a bench where she sat down to switch from skis to crampons so she could walk down.

Even after assembling behind Crater Rock and letting their heartbeats slacken, the group was not out of trouble. The area is Mount Hood’s “hot spot,” which means the snow is rotten underneath.

One skier crashed through the surface into the foul-smelling abyss. Fortunately, the hole was less than 1½ meters deep, so the only damage was to her confidence.

For others, who might be considering a similar trip, it appeared that short skis contributed to the two slides. Although they were easier to carry to the summit, they didn’t offer the necessary control on the steep, icy slopes afforded by longer skis.

Richard’s trouble occurred because he was asked to wear a helmet with a movie camera mounted to it. An extra six pounds on the head is no way to ski off Mount Hood. (Source: Terry Richard, The Oregonian, April 30, 1982)

Analysis

As it turned out, the group had an excellent day for climbing but a poor day for skiing. Despite a week of sunshine, wind had prevented the snow on the upper mountain from softening.

After arising at 0415, they started two hours later, piling into a snowcat at Timberline Lodge to be transported above the Palmer chairlift to 2700 meters. This cuts the 6½ kilometer distance from the lodge to the summit by more than half.

Because most members of the group were on their first climb, they went slowly, stopping to practice self-arrest techniques out of the wind behind Crater Rock.

They quickly learned that Mount Hood is not to be taken lightly. Skiing on the slopes lower down bears no resemblance to skiing on those up above. There is no grooming, no ski patrol and no place to get out of the elements.

Because of the descent troubles, they were fortunate that the weather remained mild and the wind subsided. Unexpected complications could have spelled disaster.

They finally arrived at the lodge at 1820, four hours later than planned. By then the parties were over but just being safe was celebration enough. (Source: Terry Richard, The Oregonian, April 30, 1982)