Just read some of the CNN coverage etc and had a quick look at the contour map for the area. There are a couple of things I find a little baffling about this story.

Timberline Lodge is on a 5900 feet contour and one of the climbers bodies was found at 9000 feet and it would appear from the media coverage that Mr Gullberg could have been above 10,000 feet.

So we are talking possibly a 4000-5000 climb in winter with a known storm front predicted for the area yet the group left at 1.00 pm in the afternoon. I'm not aware that the group were equipped to spend the night out on the hill. This seems extremely late in the day to have started their climb especially if their aim was for the summit.

This sounds like another all too typical mountaineering incident of not knowing when to forget the summit and just turn back when time has run out or conditions begin to turn for the worst. Unfortunately I'm afraid that the chances of Miss Nolan and Mr Vietti being found alive are virtually non existant. Certainly a tragedy for all concerned.

Although it is easy to speculate but I suspect that Miss Nolan's body will be found at a considerably lower altitude on the mountain than Mr Vietti's body.