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Body of missing snowboarder found at Mount Hood on Saturday

A rescue operation is seen on Mount Hood, Oregon, in this July 2018 photo. The body of a 30-year-old missing snowboarder was found on the mountain Saturday, authorities said.  (Mark Graves/The Oregonian via AP)

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon authorities say they have found the body of a missing snowboarder buried in avalanche debris in a creek at the Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort.

Resort ski patrollers located 30-year-old Ryan Mather’s body in Heather Canyon on Friday and recovered the body on Saturday, Hood River County Sheriff Matt English said in a statement.

Mather, of Aloha, was last seen at the resort’s Shooting Star Express chairlift on Tuesday, which provides access to back country areas, the Oregonian/Oregon Live reports. His girlfriend reported him missing Tuesday evening and his vehicle was found in the resort’s parking lot.

Heather Canyon hosts difficult terrain and steep slopes and is used by advanced skiers and snowboarders. The area is considered “extremely difficult” double-black diamond terrain.

The sheriff’s office did not say what circumstances may have led to Mather’s death. Personnel from more than a half dozen agencies – including Portland Mountain Rescue, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon Air National Guard – participated in the search.