Lost snowboarder on Mount Hood hears helicopter

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A snowboarder lost on Oregon’s Mount Hood was able to call rescuers this morning and say he heard the sound of a helicopter.

The 26-year-old man had lost a cell phone connection Sunday after he called a friend to say he was lost in heavy snow.

The Clackamas County sheriff’s office says the connection was re-established today and search crews headed for his location, believed to be along the treeline on the west side of the mountain.

Deputies said the helicopter turned out to be a KGW-TV news helicopter but an Oregon Army National Guard helicopter was ready to join the search.

The man was wearing clothing for snowboarding but not equipped for overnight conditions when temperatures dropped into the teens.