Body Of Climber Still Stuck On Rainier

Bad weather Friday on Mount Rainier prevented the removal of the body of a climber who perished in a fall into a deep crevasse, a National Park Service ranger said.

A high-altitude military helicopter and climbing rangers were at the scene when a dense cloud cap formed on the 14,411-foot-elevation mountain, forcing them to call off the recovery effort, chief ranger John Krambrink said.

If the weather cooperates, another attempt will be made Monday, he said.

Don McIntyre, 51, of Reno, Nev., and Joel Koury, 37, of Santa Monica, Calif., fell into crevasse Tuesday. McIntyre died and Koury suffered minor injuries.

Climbing parties have removed McIntyre’s body from the crevasse. It is secured at the accident site, away from climbing routes.

The death was the first on the mountain in more than a year.

Four climbers died on Emmons Glacier in a space of eight days in 1995.

Krambrink said there have been 92 climbing-related deaths on the mountain since record keeping began in 1887. The national park was established in 1899.