Understandably, the family is in anguish, and they probably have no experience in the logistics of SAR, especially when helos are involved. A four hour delay is not at all unusual and a ground response would certainly have been significantly longer. 600 foot falls, even on snow slopes, are often not survivable, even in the best of circumstances.

One suspects that the greatest delay was in locating and launching the helo, not in the series of calls that should have transpired in only a few minutes. Despite what you see in the movies, crews are not always standing by with a hot bird ready to launch, only minutes from the scene.

It does seem odd that on Mt.Hood, a frequently climbed peak, that rescue protocols were not clear. Again, much necessary information is not included in the newspaper article.

My SAR experience was in a situation that was helo rich. We had access to Highway patrol birds that were active, as well as a major SAC base with hot birds on standby, and even then, a two hour delay was not unknown. Life doesn't always follow the movie script....