Hazards
Cascade Range weather patterns can be deceiving, with sudden sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (100 km/h), and visibility quickly dropping from hundreds of miles to an arm's length; climbers can experience 60 °F (33 °C) temperature drops in less than an hour after leaving an access point. This pattern is responsible for the most well known incidents of May 1986 and December 2006.
Avalanches are popularly regarded to be a major climbing hazard, but relatively few Mount Hood deaths are attributed to them. For the 11-year period ending April 2006, there was one death on Mount Hood caused by an avalanche, while 445 avalanche-related deaths occurred throughout North America. Compared to other western states, Oregon has the fewest avalanche fatalities. Worldwide, between 100 and 200 people die each year from avalanches.
The two major causes of climbing deaths on Mount Hood are falls and hypothermia.
Read more about this topic: Mount Hood Climbing Accidents