GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. -- At a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Dr. Teri Schmidt, a former Medical Director for American Medical Response, said two climbers missing on Mt. Hood had about a one percent chance of survival.
Searchers were sidelined all day by weather conditions, forced to wait out a snowstorm on the mountain instead of looking for the missing climbers. They're only respite was the hope that maybe, just maybe Anthony Vietti and Katie Nolan were hunkered down in a snow cave, waiting out the storm and staying as dry and warm as possible on the treacherous mountain.
Emergency room doctor Max Reitz at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center said the pair would need to have several days worth of fuel and food with them in the shelter, along with dry clothing, to survive. More: Snow cave survival
"A large accumulation of new snow has fallen on the mountain throughout the night, and this snowfall is expected to continue throughout the day," Clackamas County detective and search coordinator Jim Strovink said earlier Tuesday. "All search and rescue crews are on standby and waiting to be advised of what, if anything additional, can be accomplished on the mountain today,"
Military search crews were also assessing the risk of avalanches as teams held off searching by ground due to the conditions Tuesday.
Steve Rollins, a search leader, said photos showed that Vietti, of Longview, Wash., and Nolan, of Portland, had ice axes that could be used to hack out a snow cave. "It's more like digging with a spoon than a shovel, but if your life is in danger, you can do wonderful things," he said.
Climber fell, died of hypothermia
On Monday, a deputy state medical examiner said that the third climber, 26-year-old Luke Gullberg of Des Moines, Wash., had died from hypothermia after he fell. Gullberg's body was discovered Saturday as searchers combed Reid Glacier at the 9,000-foot elevation on Mt. Hood's west face.
Dr. Christopher Young said Gullberg had suffered minor injuries - cuts, scrapes and bruises - apparently caused by a fall. Responders on the mountain believe the 26-year-old was still able to move himself after falling an unknown distance. His body showed no marks from harnesses or ropes. Young determined that the fall had not injured him badly enough to kill him and that he died of exposure.
For much of the time since the group was reported overdue, overnight temperatures have dipped into the teens with winds and intermittent snow.
The trio, longtime friends who'd met through church, according to family, had set out early Friday with plans to summit the mountain and then return mid-afternoon - a 13-hour roundtrip, according to registration documents they'd filed at Timberline Lodge. Friends and family described them all as "experienced climbers." When they did not return as scheduled, friends alerted authorities. PHOTOS: Climbers
"Deep scan" finds nothing
Searchers took advantage of a clearing in the weather Monday and scoured the upper elevations of Mount Hood on foot and from above in military helicopter. Timeline: Climbers' trek, rescue effort
"We have two experienced climbers that were well equipped and that's why we are going to continue on," said Strovink. "We owe that to the climbers and to their families, and that's what we are going to do." The goal of the mission remained search and rescue, said Strovink.
Monty Smith with Portland Mountain Rescue flew in an Oregon National Guard Blackhawk helicopter for several hours, performing what searchers called a "deep scan" of the mountain for evidence of the two missing climbers. PHOTOS: Helicopter search
"We got extremely good visibility of all the expected climbing routes, with a chance to see all the likely and backup routes. We did not detect anything out of the ordinary, gear or people," Smith said, calling the results "very discouraging."
"Where we're searching is a complex system of gullies and ridges. Each gully has the tendency to accumulate snow," said Steve Rollins, a Mountain Rescue specialist, at a Monday morning press conference. "The dangers in this area [for the missing climbers and rescuers] include ... high avalanche danger, rock fall, ice fall. Anywhere on that face, there's the concern that someone would fall off the face of the mountain."
Weather impedes search
The threat of avalanches forced teams who had been searching on foot back to base camp Saturday and avalanche danger continued to impede searchers Sunday. Monday's break in the weather gave rescuers their best opporunity to scan the mountain for the missing climbers. Rescuers indicated they'd eliminated possibility of the pair being below 10,000 feet and on Monday a fresh effort to locate the two near Mt. Hood's 11,239-foot summit was unsuccessful. PHOTOS: Rescue effort
Climbers all experienced
A friend to the climbers told authorities they were "very experienced" in mountain climbing. Vietti was a member of Olympic Mountain Rescue in Washington, according to the OMR website.
Dennis Simons, a chaplain with the Sandy Fire and Police Department met with relatives of the three climbers. He said they were all devout Christians who "dedicated their lives serving and giving to others." Nolan has traveled worldwide, at one point helping to rescue young women from the slave trade, Simons said.
Of the three climbers, Gullberg was the most experienced. Relatives were helping his parents cope with the death of their son and praying that the other two would still be found alive, Simons said.
Vietti's aunt, Teri Preiss thanked well-wishers across the country who held out hope that the pair would be found. She said the three were close friends who'd met at church - and that Luke Gullberg had "died as he lived, passionately giving his all."
"These three have summitted Mount Adams, summitted Mount Baker ... they are some of the strongest individuals I've ever met," she said.
Gullberg's camera was found by rescuers on Saturday who said there were closeup photos of the three climbers, all smiling and having a good time. Rescuers said the images helped them narrow the search area. The photos also showed the group had standard mountaineeering gear including helmets and ropes.
Video archive: Search effort on Mt. Hood
Climbers had cell phone, no beacon
The three climbers did have a cell phone that was briefly activated about 1:30 a.m. Friday as they were leaving Timberline Lodge to begin their ascent, Strovink said. None of the climbers were carrying locator beacons or anything that would provide a signal with which to pinpoint their location, Strovink said.
Steve Rollins of Portland Mountain Rescue told KGW that a locator beacon would not have helped searchers in this case.
He added that the Search and Rescue community in Oregon unanimously opposes mandating that climbers carry beacons, and that "the public tends to take increased risks when they carry devices such as beacons because they feel they will be rescued if they carry one."
"That increases the risks to rescuers," he said. Rollins also noted that climbers preparing for technical routes scrutinize each piece of equipment they carry, given the likelihood of needing it versus the added pack weight, and that a strong argument can be made both for carrying a beacon and leaving it behind.
Deceased climber was officer's son
Luke Gullberg was the son of Washington State Patrol Ret. Sgt Rod Gullberg, who is a current civilian research analyst with the WSP
Luke Gullberg's Myspace site includes a blog with photographs of past climbs. He lists the Bible first as his favorite book and his heroes are his parents. His favorite Bible passage is Proverbs 4:23. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."
Autopsy results concluded that Gullberg died of hypothermia after a long slow fall, according to The Oregonian.
Saturday, WSP leaders issued a statement, saying "Chief Batiste and all the members of the Washington State patrol send our deepest condolences to the Gullberg family. We know that Rod and Luke were close as father and son, and as climbing partners. Words can not express the sorrow we feel this evening."
Mt. Hood popular, but deadly
Mount Hood, the tallest mountain in Oregon, is a popular destination for climbers in the United States. In 25 years, it has been the site of dozens of climbing accidents and fatalities. The worst on record happened in May 1986 when nine people -- seven students from Oregon Episcopal School and two adults -- died after they dug a snow cave during a sudden storm.
The latest search comes almost exactly three years after another trio of experienced climbers died on Mount Hood during a December 2006 blizzard. The family of Kelly James, who was the only person in that climbing trio whose body was ever found, clung to their faith to get through the tragedy.
MORE: History of fatalities on Mount Hood
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
