A 57-year-old Catholic priest from New Jersey was identified as the climber who fell Tuesday to his death on Mount Hood.

It may take days for conditions to improve on the mountain to safely recover the body of the Rev. Robert J. Cormier of Jersey City, rescue officials said.

Father Robert J. Cormier

Cormier fell from the summit's north side about 8 a.m. when a snow cornice collapsed beneath him, said Hood River County Sheriff Matt English. A climber not in his group saw the Cormier fall and called 911.

Cormier, according to his publisher, has been a priest with the Archdiocese of Newark for more than 25 years.

He was climbing with two companions when he fell, officials said. The group left Timberline Lodge at 1:45 a.m. to climb to the summit on the popular south side route.

English said that one of the men had to turn back near the top due to a leg cramp, but Cormier continued up.

When he reached the summit, he looked north and was seen falling through a cornice on the north side of the mountain. He fell about 700 feet.

Cornices occur when snow is blown over steep and sharp terrain like Hood's summit, elevation 11,239 feet.

Search crews won't try to reach Cormier right away because of high temperatures and extreme avalanche danger on the mountain.

"There's too much danger to even attempt reaching him because of the danger of avalanche and falling rocks,'' English said. "The rescue climbers are risk-takers, but even they said it would be reckless to try. It's just too unstable."

Overnight temperatures aren't expected to drop below freezing perhaps until the weekend: "We want freezing conditions," English said.

A sheriff's office airplane spotter located Cormier's body after the emergency call came in, said Bernie Wells, a search coordinator for the Crag Rats, a volunteer search and rescue group based in Hood River. It was clear that he had died in the fall, English said.

An Oregon National Guard Blackhawk helicopter crew from C Company of the 7-158 Aviation Unit from Salem will help recover Cormier's body when conditions improve.

"We are in holding mode," English said.

The last fatal fall on the mountain occurred in August 2013, when 32-year-old Sebastian Kinasiewicz fell from or near the summit.

His body was recovered at the 9,100 foot level.

--Stuart Tomlinson

Researcher Lynne Palombo contributed to this report