PORTLAND (AP) — A pair of climbers missing in treacherous weather on Mount Hood used a cell phone today to report that they had spent the night in a snow cave and were on their way down the mountain.

The men, described as experienced climbers, had been due off the mountain Monday afternoon.

One of the men called his girlfriend today to let her know they had dug into the snow for shelter when conditions became so bad they could not continue. The climbers were near the tree line on the 11,239-foot mountain, said Detective Jim Strovink of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. He said 18 rescuers were on their way to meet them.