New snow, wind and dangerous conditions on the northeast face of Mount Rainier have prevented climbing rangers from reach Hall’s body.

“Monday will be the first break we get in the weather,” park superintendent Randy King said Friday.

There is snow in the forecast for the rest of weekend, followed by most sunny skies on Monday.

Hall’s body is at 11,300 feet on the Emmons Glacier. He died after falling 2,500 feet during a June 21 rescue of four climbers who had fallen into a crevasse.

The desire is to bring Hall’s body down, but without putting other people in harm’s way, said Stefan Lofgren, head of the park’s climbing ranger team,

“We just want to bring this to an end,” Lofgren said after Friday’s memorial service for Hall. “But Nick’s family and we are happy with where Nick’s at.”

The plan is to use a helicopter to bring climbing rangers to the scene and then airlift Hall’s body off the mountain. It’s a procedure that could take as little as a couple of hours, if all goes according to
plan.

“Just give us some good weather, please,” Lofgren said.

The Sunrise area opened Friday morning for the first time this season. It was scheduled to open June 22, but those plans were scrapped following Hall’s accident.

The area will remain open for the rest of the season, said park superintendent Randy King. The area had been closed in case it was needed for use by helicopters involved in the recovery of Hall’s body. It is unlikely that will need to happen now, King said.

The Sunrise Visitor Center is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m daily through Sept. 3.

Meanwhile, the park’s free shuttle service began it’s Longmire-Paradise route today. That shuttle will run Fridays-Sundays through early September. Another route, from Ashford to Longmire, will run on Saturdays and Sundays.

On Sunday, the Longmire Museum will switch to its summer hours, open daily
9 a.m.-5 p.m.

In a ceremony that blended a military-style formality with the informal remembrances from a brother and a friend, Hall was remembered for his passion for the outdoors, his quiet intensity and his remarkable climbing and rescue skills.

National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis, also a former Mount Rainier National Park superintendent, described Hall as a hero, like those the Service honors at the Flight 93 and Pearl Harbor memorials.

In talking about Hall and Margaret Anderson, a Mount Rainier law enforcement ranger shot and killed on Jan. 1, Jarvis said, “We make the commitment to never let America forget, never let them forget the sacrifices they made.”

Carter Hall, the father of the 33-year-old ranger, said the past week has been experience he had never contemplated.

“Nick, my son, you have done your parents and your hometown proud.Your friendships are deep, your friendships are true,” he said.

Hall reflected so many of the characteristics needed to be a good ranger, said Chuck Young, the parks’ chief ranger.

“His legacy will live on in the rangers that follow his footsteps,” Young said.

The service inside the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center was held amidst thick clouds that blanketed the mountain through the early afternoon. Because of the conditions, expected to last through the weekend, attempts to recover Hall’s body have been suspended until Monday.