7/31/2019 Press Release on Mt. Rainier rescue, June 22

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7/31/2019 Press Release on Mt. Rainier rescue, June 22

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E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.

stop;in1995twoclimbingrangersfell1,200duringarescueontheEmmonsGlacier;anda

maintenanceworkerdiedinaworkrelatedincidentinthe1950s.

TheparkIncidentCommandSystemteamwillbetransitioningmanagementoftheincident

withtheNationalParkServiceIntermountainRegionalIncidentManagementTeam.

Atapproximate12:00pmon,Thursday,June21,2012,apartyoffourclimbersfromWaco,

Texasfellatthe13,700footleveloftheEmmonsGlacierastheywerereturningfromasummit

attemptonMountRainier.Twomembersofthepartyslidintoacrevasse.Athirdmemberof

thegroupwasabletocallforhelpusingacellphone.Duringthesubsequentrescue,at4:59

p.m.,asthefirstoftheclimberswerebeingevacuatedbyhelicopter,MountRainierclimbing

rangerNickHallfell,slidingmorethan3,000feetdownthesideofthemountain.Hedidnot

respondtoattemptstocontacthimandwasnotmoving.Highwindsandarapidlylowering

cloudceiling

made

rescue

efforts

extremely

difficult,

but

with

the

help

of

Chinook

helicopters

fromJointBaseLewisMcChord,threeoftheoriginalclimbingpartywereliftedoffthe

mountainbyapproximately9:00pmandtakentoMadiganHospital.Thefinalmemberofthe

climbingpartyspentthenightonthemountainwithclimbingrangers.Allfoursufferednonlife

threateninginjuries,butweresubsequentlyadmittedfromtothehospitalandhavenotyet

beenreleased.

ClimbingrangersreachedRangerHallseveralhoursaftertheincidentbeganandsubsequently

determinehimtobedeceased. NickHall,33,isa4yearveteranofMountRainierNational

Parksclimbing

program

and

anative

of

Patten,

Maine.

He

was

unmarried

and

has

no

children.

Sunrise,whichhadbeenscheduledtoopenfortheseasontoday,willremainclosedwhilethe

incidentisunderway.

-NPS-