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Contact: Information Officer
Recovery efforts for Mount Rainier National Park Climbing Ranger Nick Hall continue today, Sunday, June 24, 2012. Hall, 33, fell approximately 2,500 feet down the Emmons Glacier on Mount Rainier on Thursday, June 21, during a rescue attempt in which four climbers fell into a crevasse on the glacier. Hall did not respond to attempts to contact him and was not moving after the fall. Climbing Rangers assisting in the rescue of the four climbers were able to reach Hall, several hours after he fell, and upon arrival found that he was deceased. Rescue efforts for the four climbers continued throughout daylight hours and into the next day. All four climbers were successfully rescued and transported to a hospital. Injuries sustained by some members of the climbing party remain serious. Mount Rainier National Park has experienced several days of inclement weather that has slowed efforts to recover Hall's remains. Heavy cloud cover, in conjunction with several feet of new snow, has made attempts to reach Hall's location extremely difficult. Additional amounts of snow are forecast today as well; however the park is expecting a small weather window that may be utilized to reach Hall's body. Access to the Sunrise Road continues to be restricted as it provides the safest access for an aerial recovery of Hall's remains. Mount Rainier National Park Rangers, local search and rescue team members, a Chinook helicopter with crew from Joint Base Lewis McChord and an MD500 helicopter from Northwest Helicopters out of Olympia, Washington continue to assist in the attempted recovery of Hall's remains and to assure the safety of other climbers on Mt. Rainer. The family has asked that donations in honor of Nick Hall, in lieu of flowers, be made through the following accounts: Nick Hall Memorial Fund Please make checks payable to Nick Hall Memorial Fund Donations to this fund will support search and rescue in Maine and assist the Hall Family with travel expenses. MORA Search and Rescue Fund Please make checks payable to DOI-NPS and note that the donation is in honor of Nick Hall. Cards and condolences may also be sent to the above addresses. |
Last updated: February 28, 2015