SALEM, Ore. -- The father of one of the victims of Oregon's worst climbing accident urged lawmakers Thursday to require mountaineers to carry electronic locator devices when they head for the summit of Mount Hood, an idea that is opposed by many climbers.

Photo by kgw.com contributor Randy Craig.

Mt. Hood

That plea was made by Don McClave, whose 17-year-old daughter Susan was among seven students from Oregon Episcopal School who froze to death on Mount Hood in May 1986 after they dug a snow cave during a sudden storm. Two adults who led the climb also died in the accident.

"A locator unit clearly would have resulted in no loss of life" in the 1986 disaster, McClave said.

His testimony before a House committee came only four days after an electronic beacon device helped rescuers locate three missing climbers on Mount Hood.

The 1986 tragedy led to the establishment of a mountain locator unit program unique to Mount Hood -- electronic rental devices that send out signals to help rescue crews track climbers who use them.

It's a voluntary program, though, and search and rescue officials estimate that only about half the climbers on Mount Hood bother to carry the devices.

McClave said the rescue of three climbers earlier this week shows the need to make use of the devices mandatory on Oregon's tallest peak, one of the most popular climbing mountains in the world.

"The voluntary program hasn't worked well enough," he said.

But Herman Boes, a Salem man who's climbed Mount Hood, opposed the requirement. He told lawmakers that having an electronic locator wouldn't protect climbers from accidents and that imposing such a requirement would take some of the adventure out of the sport.

"We like to go climbing because it's a challenge. It's what we're there for," Boes said.

In response, Rep. Chuck Riley, chairman of the House panel, said the proposed legislation "is not for the climbers" but is instead aimed at making it easier for search-and-rescue teams to locate climbers when they run into trouble.

"I don't think this bill is for you at all -- it's for the people who have to come get you," the Hillsboro lawmaker told Boes.

Rep. John Lim introduced the measure largely in response to the December deaths of three out-of-state climbers who got caught in a storm near the summit of Mount Hood. None carried a locator device.

Seeking to ease some of the climbers' objections, Lim proposes to make the requirement apply only to climbers who intend to go above 10,000 feet on Mount Hood from November through March. The original language would have required the device for ascents above timberline, or about 6,000 feet.

Even with those proposed changes, mountaineers and some search-and-rescue groups don't like the bill. They say that boosting education efforts to promote safe mountaineering would be more effective than saddling climbers with an electronic beacon requirement.

"It's not going to regulate personal responsibility," said James Dagata of Corvallis Mountain Rescue.

Lim, however, said he's convinced most Oregonians would support such a requirement as a way to make it easier for search crews to find missing climbers.

"This will enhance our chances of saving lives," the Gresham lawmaker said.