Steve Maynard reports this morning that Tacoma businessman Steve Albers has died from injuries sustained during an accident Thursday during RAMROD, Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day.

Albers is the ninth person to die in Mount Rainier National Park in the last eight months. A snowshoer died in December. On Jan. 1, ranger Margaret Anderson was shot and killed while trying to stop a motorist suspected in a Renton-area shooting. The shooter was found dead in Paradise River the next day.

In mid January two climbers and two hikers went missing on the mountain during a snow storm. …

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Cirrus,  a Crystal Mountain avalanche dog, assisted in Thursday recovery of climbing ranger Nick Hall’s body on Mount Rainier.

Kim Kircher, a member of the Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol, said the dog helped the recovery team find Hall’s body in short time. Hall died on June 21 when he fell while rescuing four injured climbers. Weather and avalanche hazard kept rangers from recovery Hall’s body for two weeks. Hall’s body was covered by several feet of snow.

“Cirrus and handler Brent Okita arrived on scene in a military helicopter and were able to find Hall in a very short time,” Kircher …

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The body of Mount Rainier National Park ranger Nick Hall was recovered this afternoon by a helicopter, park spokeswoman Patti Wold said today.

Wold said the recovery went smoothly in clear weather. Hall’s body was flown to the Sunrise ranger station and will now be driven to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office in Tacoma.

Hall fell to his death on June 21 during a rescue operation. Snow, clouds and avalanche danger had hampered earlier recovery efforts.

The road to Sunrise will be closed today as climbing rangers attempt to recover the body of Nick Hall, their fallen colleague.

Hall died June 21 while assisting in the rescue of four injured climbers from Texas. Weather and avalanche conditions have prevented the recovery of his body for two weeks.  The park announced earlier this week they would attempt a recovery today.

The Sunrise area will be used as a staging ground for the mission. The park says “if feasible” the road will reopen after the recovery.

Members of incident response teams began leaving Mount Rainier National Park Monday night, 12 days after the death of climbing ranger Nick Hall.

Chief ranger Chuck Young said the team managing the incident left the park Monday but climbing rangers from around the country remain to assist on the mountain.

Hall fell to his death while assisting with the rescue of four climbers on June 21. A memorial was held on June 29, but Hall’s body remains on the mountain. Poor weather and the threat of avalanche has kept rangers from recovering Hall.

Young says forecasts for Thursday and Friday …

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The body of Mount Rainier climbing ranger Nick Hall won’t be recovered until after the Fourth of July, a National Park spokeswoman said this morning.

Weather windows early this week appear to be too small to safely get a crew of climbing rangers to Hall’s body via helicopter, said Kathy Steichen, Olympic National Park’s chief of interpretation serving as a Rainier spokeswoman during this incident.

“Nick Hall’s family totally understands and wants this to be as safe as possible,” Steichen said. “There is no pressure (to do the recovery sooner).”

Steichen says the first promising weather window for recovering Hall …

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There were some technical problems and today’s story did not continue on the back page as stated, but on Page A4 instead.

Here is the complete story:

By Jeffrey P. Mayor
Staff writer

The verbal portrait painted during a memorial service Friday portrayed
fallen climbing ranger Nick Hall as a man whose quiet demeanor
reflected strength not weakness, a ranger whose skills and judgment
were without question and whose familial bonds were woven with faith
and love.

“It was special to have folks share what Nick means to them,” Aaron
Hall, the ranger’s brother,

…

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Attempts to recover the body of climbing ranger Nick Hall have been suspended until Monday at the soonest.

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 …

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