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Happy New Year from Oregon,
 There is tons of snow in the mountains and we've been playing in it. Skiing and snowshoeing have been fun and we're looking forward to snow adventures and playtimes for the remainder of the winter.
Joe Fitzgibbon wrote an article in the Oregonian on our Moonlight Snowshoe Trips and the response has been phenomenal. We filled the three trips scheduled and added four more, which are also almost filled.
Oregon was in the news quite a bit last month with the ordeal of the Kim family in Southern Oregon and the three climbers stranded on Mt. Hood. I was on Channel 8 news briefly and provided some comments and wrote a quick blog entry for them. I'll have some additional comments in the Tips section.
We actually had some snow on the ground today in Portland, but the sun is shining and the forecast is for sunny skies for our snowshoe trip this Saturday.
Please read on about our upcoming trips. Look in the International Trips section for information on our Nepal trip in September. It's going to be so cool!
We hope you can join us for your next adventure in 2007.
Past newsletters are available at the OPA Website
As always, our intent is to send this newsletter only to people who wish to receive it. If you don't want it, please click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email. There you will also find a link which allows you to send this eNews to a friend or colleague. We invite you to take a trip with Oregon Peak Adventures. You may sign-up by e-mailing us at info@oregonpeakadventures.com, calling us at (877) 965-5100, or using our secure form.
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TIPS
BACKCOUNTRY SURVIVAL
I don't have too much to add from my comments regarding the Kim Family ordeal and the three climbers who perished on Mt. Hood.
Mr. Kim's father wrote a piece about the Lessons Learned from the tragedy that was published in many newspapers. The lessons he listed were all about things that the government agencies or media aircraft could have done better. All of those things regarding the agencies needing to do better, (but perhaps not the media aircraft) are probably true. But I still believe the primary lesson here is that we have to take responsibility for our actions. These are not new lessons. Tell people where you are going, don't go out into the backcountry without adequate supplies and knowledge about where you are going, stay with your vehicle, etc.
I am sure that there will be innumerable articles about the three climbers on Mt. Hood. Again, there some basic lessons here. All of my information is hearsay, so I may be incorrect on some of the facts, but this is what I have heard:
They had not climbed Mt. Hood before and had received very optimistic advice on how long it would take them to climb the route. The summit of Mt. Hood can be very confusing in low visibility conditions. They likely took longer to summit than expected and then couldn't find their way down the south side.
Although Kelly James was reported as saying during a cell phone call that he was injured, the autopsy did not find any major apparent injuries. He appeared to have died of hypothermia.
When we travel in the backcountry, we make judgments as to what we take or leave behind. Are we safer going light by moving faster and being exposed to potential danger for a shorter period of time; or are we prepared to deal possible emergencies by carrying more gear, even though we will go slower due to the weight? The prelimiary report from the Sheriff, indicated that the three climbers had chosen fast and light.
However, once they were stopped, they quickly ran out of options for survival. They did not have a Mountain Locator Beacon or Avalanche Transceivers. (These items actually may not have made an initial difference if the searchers were unable to get to them due the adverse conditions, but would have simplified finding them after the weather cleared.) Keeping warm, dry and hydrated in a snow cave would have been their only option to survive until they were found. The other two climbers probably fell, possibly due to impairment caused by hypothermia.
The amount of interest and coverage both of these incidents received surprised me. It is sad anytime someone dies before their expected time. We need to take responsibility for our judgments and do our best to ensure that the judgments we make are as appropriate as training and knowledge can make them. Those are the lessons to be learned here. Of course, it's up to each individual to change their behavior, or not.
Guide Chris LeDoux did suffer a patch of frostnip on her cheek during the search, but it should heal with no problem.
If you're going outside to play you can go with us or other qualified people, and/or take our training classes. But whatever you do, ensure you have the knowledge and gear to come back safe and sound.
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