Eugene man dies in fall on North Sister - The Register-Guard

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A 37-year-old Eugene man was killed Saturday when he fell near the summit of the North Sister mountain, Lane County Search & Rescue reported Sunday.

High winds and blowing snow have prevented the immediate recovery of Brian C. Jones' body, rescue officials said.

Jones fell around 1 p.m. Saturday into the mountain's west-face gullies, his fall witnessed by his unnamed climbing partner, officials said.

An Air National Guard Black Hawk helicopter was requested to assist in both the search and possible rescue operation. The Air Guard located a body matching Jones' description, but were unable to reach him because of high winds at the 9,000-foot elevation level, officials said.

Members of Deschutes Search and Rescue, Eugene Mountain Rescue and Corvallis Mountain Rescue participated in the ground portion of the search effort this morning. But they were repelled by winds of between 50 and 60 mph, and blowing snow creating near-whiteout conditions, officials said.

Because of the extreme hazards and lack of visibility, the ground teams returned to their respective agencies until the weather improves.

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