Kelly James

Jeffrey Kelly James (February 2, 1958 – c. December 11, 2006) was one of three experienced mountain climbers who died on Mount Hood in the U.S. state of Oregon in December 2006 in an incident that received worldwide attention.

On December 10, 2006, during his climb on Mount Hood, James made a cell phone call to his wife, Karen, and two older sons telling them that he was trapped in a snow cave and that his two climbing partners Brian Hall and Jerry “Nikko” Cooke had gone for help.

Finally on December 17, 2006, rescue workers located James’ body in a snow cave, 300 feet (91 m) below the summit.

The two other climbers who went for help, Brian Hall and Jerry Cooke, were never found, and have since been declared dead.

[4] Kelly's wife Karen James wrote a book Holding Fast: The Untold Story of the Mount Hood Tragedy[3][5] about the accident.