In Crisis on Mount Hood: Stories from 100 Years of Mountain Rescue (Mountaineers Books, May 2025), author and emergency room doctor Christopher Van Tilburg looks at the history of America’s oldest all-volunteer mountain rescue team, the Hood River Crag Rats, and his own three-decade commitment to search and rescue. Centered on Oregon’s iconic 11,249-foot-high Mount Hood, considered by many to be the world’s most-climbed glaciated peak, this dramatic narrative leads readers through a century of life-and-death challenges. Covering the past, present, and future of Mount Hood, Van Tilburg highlights the titans of mountain rescue, the ways that outdoor recreation has changed over time, the challenging effects of climate change, and, most of all, the unwavering passion of search and rescue volunteers. Foreword Reviews says:
“…the unshakable camaraderie between the rescuers is made palpable through honest, riveting accounts of various crises. Crisis on Mount Hood is both a survival guide and a chronicle of dedicated mountaineering heroes.”
Joelle Delbourgo Associates, Inc.
CRISIS ON MOUNT HOOD: Stories From 100 Years of Mountain Rescue, Christopher Van Tilburg
Christopher Van Tilburg, grew up in the Pacific Northwest and first climbed Mount Hood in 1994. He is an author and physician practicing emergency, wilderness, occupational, and travel medicine, as well as a medical director for four regional search and rescue teams, a past chair of Mountain Rescue Association’s Medical Committee, and a USA delegate to the International Commission for Alpine Rescue. Van Tilburg serves as the Hood River County public health officer and as medical examiner for five Oregon counties. For over twenty-five years he has volunteered for the Hood River Crag Rats mountain rescue team. Van Tilburg lives in Hood River, Oregon. Visit him online at christophervantilburg.com.