Dallas / Fort Worth Local News

by Jay Gormley
COOPER SPUR, Ore. (CBS 11 News / AP) ― A break in the miserable weather on the snowy flanks of Mount Hood (click here for map) wasn't much help for the searchers looking for three missing climbers on Tuesday, as the rescue teams again fought high winds and blowing snow, and worried about avalanche dangers. Experts equipped with ice axes, ropes and other high-altitude gear were once again frustrated in their efforts to locate the climbers missing on Oregon's highest mountain since the weekend.

After battling high winds and blowing snow, search teams suspended the search for two Texans and a New Yorker for the day without success.

"Right now, they're dealing with 50 to 60 mph winds in the area they're searching, and blowing snow. It really cuts down their visibility," said Joseph Wampler, sheriff for Hood River County.

More snow and high winds were expected Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Rescue teams have been combing the upper elevations of the mountain since Monday, in search of three experienced climbers who vanished.

Winds weren't as gusty on Tuesday and snowfall wasn't as heavy, but the weather conditions were bad enough to once again frustrate efforts to locate the climbers.

The last anyone heard from the climbers was on Sunday, when one, 48-year-old Kelly James, used his cell phone from a snow cave to say the group was in trouble.

Wampler said officials have not been able to reach James since then. However, he said, search officials have been able to narrow the approximate location through cell phone signals. He said searchers believe James' snow cave is near the summit of the 11,239-foot mountain, on the northeast side.

That may give searchers a good idea of where James is. But it is unclear where the two others might be.

In James' call to relatives on Sunday, the climber said the two others -- Brian Hall, 37, and Jerry "Nikko" Cooke, 36 -- had gone to look for help.

Meanwhile, officials said that high winds had forced them to cancel plans to send up an Oregon National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to help in the search.

"The wind just would not let them do it," said Gary Tiffany, with the Hood River County Sheriff's Office.

The families of the missing climbers missing have called the week "extremely difficult." Most have flown to nearby Hood River to await word on their loved ones. They include Frank James of Orlando, Fla., Kelly James' older brother, who thanked those who have been helping in the rescue efforts.

"Our appreciation extends from the generous Hood River community to several organizations without whose help there might be precious little hope. But today, we are keeping big hope alive for our missing family members," Frank James said.

"Today's the day for courage and for prayers. Courage can help us see through this snowstorm, and our prayers can literally move mountains," Frank James said at a news conference at the base of Mount Hood.

"We look forward to welcoming Kelly, Brian and Nikko home again very soon," Frank James said in a press release.

James and Hall, longtime climbing partners, are both from Dallas. Cooke is from Brooklyn, N.Y.

He said all three are experienced climbers, and had decided to climb Mount Hood after meeting on Mount Rainier about a year ago. They had not climbed Mount Hood previously.

In a telephone interview with Lou Ann Cameron of Bryant, Ark., described her son, landscape architect James, as an avid climber who scaled Mount McKinley, the Andes Mountains in South America and peaks in Europe. He lives in Dallas with his wife, Karen, and four children. He grew up in Lake Highlands and attended Texas Tech University.

"My brother has been climbing for 25 years, and he would know what to do in a difficult situation," Frank James said.

"He's been in a number of situations and always managed to get out well. I think that's a testament to his experience."

Frank James said it wasn't clear from the four-minute cell call his brother placed to family members on Sunday whether he was injured. That was an assumption, he said, but his brother did say he was feeling the effects of cold and was worried about the weather.

"From the conversation, it left us very concerned for the person's welfare," Chief Sheriff's Deputy Jerry Brown said.

"I'm just scared he was hurt, and the other guys went to get help," Cameron said.

Hall is a personal trainer who played for the Dallas Rockets, a now-defunct professional soccer team.

Most rescuers were brought off the mountain Monday afternoon because of ugly weather. Some searchers on snowmobiles continued their efforts at lower levels in case any of the climbers had made it that far down.

"Today is a window of opportunity between storms," said meteorologist Bill Schneider, science and operations officer at the Portland office of the National Weather Service. He said two more storms were expected by the weekend, one beginning early Wednesday.

The three climbers started from a trail head in Cooper Spur on Wednesday, intending to climb Mount Hood's difficult north face. They spent Thursday night at a campground with others before setting off for the summit. The route the climbers took is very difficult, with slopes of 50 or 60 degrees and occasional sheer walls of ice, said Steve Rollins, a rescue leader with Portland Mountain Rescue.

"There is more than 2,000 feet of that terrain," Rollins told The Associated Press. He said conditions on the mountain were deadly. There is "very hard ice, coupled with very high winds. You have a lot of snow on very hard ice. There is no easy way off the mountain," he said.

Wampler said that on Tuesday about 40 searchers were looking for the missing climbers. One search leader hopes that all three were able to take refuge in a snow cave, which can provide shelter from wind and snow.

About 10,000 people a year start for the summit, and on average 20 to 25 have to be rescued.

This is the second time in less than a month that someone was reported missing in snowy, isolated areas of Oregon. James Kim of San Francisco died of exposure after leaving his wife and their two small daughters in their snowbound car while he struck out on his own in search of help. His wife and children were rescued.

(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)