Body of Oregon climber who fell 900 feet recovered

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Searchers have recovered the body of a 39-year-old Oregon climber who fell 900 feet as he descended in darkness from the summit of a Cascade Range peak.

After extreme weather and the threat of avalanches hampered searchers for three days, a National Guard helicopter spotted the body of Benjamin Newkirk on Sunday.

Rescue workers on the ground then transported it down Middle Sister, a 10,052-foot volcanic peak in central Oregon's Three Sisters Wilderness that's 100 miles southeast of Portland.

"Knowledge of the mountain terrain as well aircraft surveillance assisted in locating Newkirk, who was found approximately 800-900 feet below where he fell," Lane County Sheriff's Office said in a statement, according to CBS affiliate KOIN.

Newkirk and a climbing partner were about 500 feet below the summit around 10 p.m. Wednesday when he fell. The partner, who hasn't been identified, couldn't see where Newkirk had fallen.

The climbers were returning to a base camp at 7,000 feet. Newkirk was described as an experienced climber and his Facebook page features many photos of him at high altitudes.