Mt. Hood low elevation snow bridge collapse rescue
Posted: April 12th, 2021, 7:08 pm
Brand new poster. Originally posted this on reddit but wanted to share with a larger audience. Picture link below.
On Friday, just steps from the hiker's trail on the eastern edge of the Timberline resort property I was descending from a solo trip up the trail to the top of the Palmer Lift. I hiked up at around 11:00 am, reached the top of Palmer lift at around 1:15, ate my lunch and had a nice descent. I descended along the trail, venturing a little bit outside the trail to find soft snow for my snowshoes.
The snowfield was wide as I came down below Silcox hut. I took to the eastern side of the snowcat trail. I saw dozens of people skiing, hiking and snowshoeing in the area. The parking lot was in sight, I was at approximately 6,500 feet, down from the 8500 at the top of the lift. Just 1000 feet to go.
Suddenly and without warning the snow violently gave way underneath me and I plunged deep into what the snow. A cleft about 25-30 feet deep swallowed me. This was a low elevation. This was in an area riddled with back country ski tracks, this was just STEPS from the snowcat trail. There was no creek bed or anything obvious.
I was alone.. Nobody saw me... my wife had an idea of where I was, but this is a very big area and she wouldn't be worried until it got much later in the day. Dying alone in this crag felt like a very real possibility for me, either slowly through exposure, or quickly through collapse.
I tried to climb out.. I gained as much of the ledge as I could, but the mouth of the opening was too high up for me to pull myself out without risk of falling and injuring myself or falling deeper. It took me about 15 minutes to get up to a tentative perch where I frantically searched for my cell phone. Worried that I'd drop my phone into the abyss. Threw my bag to the top so it could be viewed. Started to yell for help.. Futile
Found my cell phone.. called 911. Thankfully I was in range. They said they'd call me back in 30 while they worked to get a rescue moving. Honestly, I was terrified and worried about collapse. I called my wife and relayed my information to Mt. Hood ski patrol. They called me, and I described where i was but they had a hard time spotting my location, but ultimately they spotted my bag.
I stood there on the ledge, barely able to hold onto the steep snow. My feet exhausted from clinging.
30 minutes or so after the call, I hear a voice. They pull together a snow anchor. The ski patrol rescuer climbs into the crag, builds me a harness. They pull me out. Absolute heros and the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol.
Honestly, the fear I felt while falling alone into that hole was the most terrifying thing I've experienced. I could not comprehend that one moment I was snowshoing down a wide open area, and the next I was deep under the surface.
The ski patrol described the condition as pretty much a freak occurrence, but that it is the second type of rescue they've done at low elevation for someone falling through a snow bridge that year. They couldn't recall this happening in years past.
Lessons learned:
1. Keep cell phone in a location on your person and practice retrieving it like a drill. If i dropped my phone into the abyss it was probably all over for me.
2. I have a rescue whistle that I keep in my bag that I wish I had around my neck. Will do so in the future.
3. I'm getting a Garmin Inreach.
4. I needed better gear to survive the night. I probably should've had a better base layer on. I didn't carry crampons or an Ice Axe because I wasn't attempting to go higher, but that would've helped me climb out alone.
5. Hiking alone.. man IDK.. I'm trying to evaluate what my rules of engagement should be for hiking alone. Probably no more snow solo for me, but honestly, It felt like I was just meandering down just by the ski resort. This has shaken my confidence big time.
6. Mt. Hood Ski patrol is unbelievable. Courageous. Calm. I could hear tension in their voices as they calmly put together a plan, and the relief when they pulled me up was such a shared joy. I've spent a lot of the weekend crying about the whole thing.
The whole thing has been so terrifying and so humbling. There was no apparent danger and suddenly I was in a fight for my life.
Edit: https://imgur.com/a/acd9pEm. here are some pictures from the ordeal. I was able to get one from the chamber while I awaited rescue from near the top. The deepest part of the crag and the lower chamber are obscured by my fat fingers. I debated even taking a picture while in there because my perch was so precarious but I had already been in contact w/ ski patrol and risked getting the shot. No way I could have climbed out although if there was no rescue coming I would've gotten creative and probably started digging horizontally with my hands to create a ramp??
On Friday, just steps from the hiker's trail on the eastern edge of the Timberline resort property I was descending from a solo trip up the trail to the top of the Palmer Lift. I hiked up at around 11:00 am, reached the top of Palmer lift at around 1:15, ate my lunch and had a nice descent. I descended along the trail, venturing a little bit outside the trail to find soft snow for my snowshoes.
The snowfield was wide as I came down below Silcox hut. I took to the eastern side of the snowcat trail. I saw dozens of people skiing, hiking and snowshoeing in the area. The parking lot was in sight, I was at approximately 6,500 feet, down from the 8500 at the top of the lift. Just 1000 feet to go.
Suddenly and without warning the snow violently gave way underneath me and I plunged deep into what the snow. A cleft about 25-30 feet deep swallowed me. This was a low elevation. This was in an area riddled with back country ski tracks, this was just STEPS from the snowcat trail. There was no creek bed or anything obvious.
I was alone.. Nobody saw me... my wife had an idea of where I was, but this is a very big area and she wouldn't be worried until it got much later in the day. Dying alone in this crag felt like a very real possibility for me, either slowly through exposure, or quickly through collapse.
I tried to climb out.. I gained as much of the ledge as I could, but the mouth of the opening was too high up for me to pull myself out without risk of falling and injuring myself or falling deeper. It took me about 15 minutes to get up to a tentative perch where I frantically searched for my cell phone. Worried that I'd drop my phone into the abyss. Threw my bag to the top so it could be viewed. Started to yell for help.. Futile
Found my cell phone.. called 911. Thankfully I was in range. They said they'd call me back in 30 while they worked to get a rescue moving. Honestly, I was terrified and worried about collapse. I called my wife and relayed my information to Mt. Hood ski patrol. They called me, and I described where i was but they had a hard time spotting my location, but ultimately they spotted my bag.
I stood there on the ledge, barely able to hold onto the steep snow. My feet exhausted from clinging.
30 minutes or so after the call, I hear a voice. They pull together a snow anchor. The ski patrol rescuer climbs into the crag, builds me a harness. They pull me out. Absolute heros and the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol.
Honestly, the fear I felt while falling alone into that hole was the most terrifying thing I've experienced. I could not comprehend that one moment I was snowshoing down a wide open area, and the next I was deep under the surface.
The ski patrol described the condition as pretty much a freak occurrence, but that it is the second type of rescue they've done at low elevation for someone falling through a snow bridge that year. They couldn't recall this happening in years past.
Lessons learned:
1. Keep cell phone in a location on your person and practice retrieving it like a drill. If i dropped my phone into the abyss it was probably all over for me.
2. I have a rescue whistle that I keep in my bag that I wish I had around my neck. Will do so in the future.
3. I'm getting a Garmin Inreach.
4. I needed better gear to survive the night. I probably should've had a better base layer on. I didn't carry crampons or an Ice Axe because I wasn't attempting to go higher, but that would've helped me climb out alone.
5. Hiking alone.. man IDK.. I'm trying to evaluate what my rules of engagement should be for hiking alone. Probably no more snow solo for me, but honestly, It felt like I was just meandering down just by the ski resort. This has shaken my confidence big time.
6. Mt. Hood Ski patrol is unbelievable. Courageous. Calm. I could hear tension in their voices as they calmly put together a plan, and the relief when they pulled me up was such a shared joy. I've spent a lot of the weekend crying about the whole thing.
The whole thing has been so terrifying and so humbling. There was no apparent danger and suddenly I was in a fight for my life.
Edit: https://imgur.com/a/acd9pEm. here are some pictures from the ordeal. I was able to get one from the chamber while I awaited rescue from near the top. The deepest part of the crag and the lower chamber are obscured by my fat fingers. I debated even taking a picture while in there because my perch was so precarious but I had already been in contact w/ ski patrol and risked getting the shot. No way I could have climbed out although if there was no rescue coming I would've gotten creative and probably started digging horizontally with my hands to create a ramp??