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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 28, 2004 Storm traps Shasta climber Snow, avalanche risks delay rescue; attempt may be made today By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune A New York state man was stuck high on Mount Shasta Monday after a storm buried the mountain under more than 3 feet of fresh snow. James Aldrich, 46, used his cell phone to call his sister, Susan Bell of Central Point, to ask for advice as the storm rolled in Sunday. Aldrich was climbing solo at about 10,000 feet on Casaval Ridge when winter’s biggest storm so far struck the mountain. "He and his daughter came (to Central Point) to visit for the holidays," Bell said. "He left my house (to start the climb) at about 4 a.m. on Christmas morning." Snow continued to fall Monday, creating avalanche hazards that prevented rescuers from approaching the mountain. Abundant new snow on top of frozen old snow often makes for extreme avalanche danger, said Susan Gravenkamp, of the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department. "It was impossible to make a rescue attempt," Gravenkamp said. "It would put the lives of rescuers at risk at this time to try to climb the mountain. Advertisement Bell said her brother was climbing the mountain to raise money for a pastor in New York who has been overwhelmed by medical bills. She said he stayed on Casaval Ridge, on the mountain’s southwest side, Sunday night and most of the day Monday. He was equipped with a tent, warm sleeping bag, cookstove, and plenty of food, as well as mountaineering tools. "He knows (the equipment) he needs to have to do this," she said. Bell said her brother has climbed several mountains in New England, but she didn’t know whether he had reached any summit as high as Shasta’s 14,162 feet. "He’s only been doing it for a couple of years," she said. "I wouldn’t say he’s really experienced." She said her brother tried to climb Mount Shasta in April, but was turned back by a storm when he reached an altitude of about 11,000 feet. Gravenkamp said preparations were being made to mount a rescue attempt at the first sign of a break in the weather, which could be today. Volunteer mountaineers from Siskiyou County Search & Rescue will try to go into the area as far as possible on a snow machine and then ski into Horse Camp, at 7,900 feet, where the Sierra Club has a shelter for climbers. A helicopter could be used to pluck Aldrich off the mountain, Gravenkamp said, but an air rescue would not be easy. Pilots would need clear weather to locate Aldrich, and the whirling air currents beneath a chopper could set off an avalanche. "We’re worried about him," Gravenkamp said. Aldrich has used his phone to stay in touch with rescuers. He told them late Monday afternoon that he wanted to start down the mountain because he was getting cold. Gravenkamp said rescuers encouraged him to stay put because of the avalanche hazard. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers