[treeswarper]

There was also the deaths in the snow cave incident in the 1980s. I forget how many died, but the rescue parties could not find the snow cave as it was buried in the storm. I believe the victims were high school seniors on a school sponsored climb.

[treeswarper]

Here it is. 1986. Mt Hood Disaster

[Just_Some_Hiker]

[treeswarper]

If I remember correctly, the weather forecast was not good. I have a memory of listening to very scratchy KGW reporting on the AM pickup radio and rain pouring down at our elevation. And yes, many mistakes were made. The pressure was on to reach the summit in order to fulfill a graduation requirement.

[Kascadia]

[Just_Some_Hiker]

[Randito]

[Just_Some_Hiker]

[Mikey]

The annual Accidents in North American Mountaineering report (paperback book) published annually by the American Alpine Club contains good descriptions and analyses of the accidents. I realize the annual report comes out a considerable time after a mountaineering accident has occurred. Accidents in North American Mountaineering reports can be purchased via Amazon, etc. Kindle versions are around $10 and paperback are around $12. Used paperback issues are available at Abebooks for about $3.48 to$3.65 + free shipping. With regards to climbing in a whiteout, many years ago, I led a climb of Glacier Peak (Sept labor day weekend) in bad weather with high wind, whiteout, sleet, snow, rain, and fog and we used many wands, compass, & altimeter and did OK (the summit photo shows rime on our hats, etc and we look sort of like popsicles). Some on this climb were more experienced climbers than I was - but I was the only one familiar with the route so they convinced me to lead or perhaps "route find" is a more accurate description. This was the Sitkum Glacier route.

[Randito]

As for descending quickly in a whiteout. Often easier said than done. I've been in fog thick enough that I couldn't see my ski tips. This makes travel very difficult even for people with a lot of experience. I've also been on trips where thick fog developed quickly and other party members experienced vertigo just trying to stand up and had to crawl down. Fortunately for me all these times the fog line was only a very short distance below and visibility improved.

[jared_j]

Regarding the armchairing of the old accident, the impression I get is that just_some_hiker does a lot of solo trips; I do, as well. I think "the power of the team" can also become "the boatanchor of the team". When solo, it is sometimes easier to maintain focus, more nimbly adjust based on feedback from terrain etc. When there's a group, particularly if there's any air of democracy to things, progress can slow to a snail's pace in difficult conditions. It shouldn't be that way, but it can be. If the discipline and order of the military could be imposed on groups of folks moving together on the mountains, then perhaps you could have different outcomes. I'm not excusing poor decision making, but suggesting that context can matter.

[Schroder]

From what I read, they experienced very extreme weather conditions - high wind and rain. From one account:

[Schroder]

This AP Article in the Herald describes the conditions they were in: Terror, heroism revealed in Oregon climbing death 911 calls

[cascadeclimber]

Nowhere in the Cascades have I ever seen the weather change as fast as the snowfield above the Palmer lift. Went from clear skies to not able to see my partner 10 meters away in 15 minutes. That slope is like the Muir Snowfield: In poor vis it's easy to go down the fall line and end up way, way down the Zig Zag glacier. It happens routinely. People who know better (again like the Muir Snowfield) tend to buck the fall line too much and end up down the White River glacier basin (Paradise glacier on Rainier). Add strong wind into the equation and it's easy to stare right at a compass bearing and end up moving 45 degrees tangent to the bearing without realizing it. So I do see how people get lost on the south side of Hood. But I'm still baffled by people who get lost for days on I-90 hikes, where you either go north or south and inevitably reach a 2500 mile cross-country freeway. As to the routine clothes-linings that happen above the Hogsback...if you aren't setting running gear to catch a fall on a slope like that, don't rope up. If you are starting up and see people roped up with no running gear, find another route, wait, or go home. But don't climb under them.

[DIYSteve]