Missing Mt. Hood snowboarder identified; survival considered unlikely
A missing snowboarder buried under ice Saturday on Mount Hood has been identified as Collin Backowski of Pines, Colo.
Rescuers believe it is unlikely Backowski survived a tunnel collapse that buried him under a large piece of ice, said Sgt. Pete Hughes, a spokesman for the Hood River County Sheriff's Office, in a statement early Sunday.
Backowski, 25, and five other men in their twenties were looking for a place to snowboard Saturday on Mt. Hood's south slopes when they entered a tunnel formed by melting snow at an elevation of about 8,100 feet. The tunnel collapsed, trapping Backowski under a piece of ice described as the size of a school bus.
"This is clearly not a good-looking situation when it comes to survivability," Hughes said earlier in the evening.
Two of the other men were hit by debris, but not injured. They were not identified, but the group ranged in age from 24 to 29.
Searchers were attempting to clear ice and debris with hand tools late Saturday in preparation for a larger recovery effort early Sunday. Search teams are coming back with "whatever we can get" in terms of manpower and equipment, said Rick Ragan, of Hood River County Crag Rats.
Only part of the ice tunnel collapsed, leading search teams to worry that the rest would follow. Chain saws could be needed to cut through the ice, Ragan said.
Reply With Quote