The body of veteran climber Joseph Bohlig, 52, who fell 1,500ft into the crater of Mount St. Helens volcano has been recovered today after he spent more than a day in the snow. High winds and low cloud hampered attempts to reach him. He was was posing for a picture on the rim of the dormant crater when a snow overhang gave way beneath him.

A Navy helicopter found the climber mostly covered by snowfall on its second pass of the mountain.

Richard Bohlig, the climber's 84-year-old father, said: 'We're sorry that he's gone, that he didn't make it.

'He was doing something he enjoyed very much. That's all I can say.'

He said that his son was an avid mountaineer who had climbed peaks in many countries, but Mount St. Helens was his home mountain.

'He used to go up even before the eruption as a child, play in the snow and that,' he added.

Family members had gathered in Mr Bohlig's hometown of Kelso, Washington state, to await word on the search.

Skamania County undersheriff David Cox said an autopsy would be conducted to determine if Mr Bohlig died from his injuries, hypothermia, or a combination of factors.

He had taken off a layer of clothing to cool down after reaching the summit and was not protected against the freezing overnight temperatures.

Two attempts to reach him by helicopter had to be turned back yesterday because of strong winds and fading daylight.

He had reached the summit of Mount St. Helens with his friend Scott Salkovichs after a four-hour climb. Mr Bohlig took off his backpack and some clothing, before deciding to pose for pictures.

Mr Salkovichs told KGW television that his friend handed his camera to another hiker and was backing towards the edge when the snow gave way and he fell.

He said he threw himself towards Mr Bohlig, but couldn't catch him.

'Boom, it busted off and I saw him clawing for the edge with a startled look on his face, and then he disappeared,' he said.

Mr Salkovichs said he threw a backpack down to his friend, but Mr Bohlig was not able to reach it.

He was alive and blowing a rescue whistle soon after the fall. The volcano, around 100 miles south of Seattle, exploded in a massive eruption in 1980, but has been quiet in recent years.

The U.S. Forest Service said the climbing route provides views of the crater, lava dome and eruption area. Most climbers complete the trip in seven to 12 hours, reaching heights of up to 8,365ft.

Climbers are advised to stay well back from the rim due to its instability.

North Country Emergency Medical Services chief Tom McDowell said the only other time someone has fallen from the rim was in 2008, when a snow cornice gave way under a snowmobiler. He was rescued by helicopter and suffered a knee injury.