MOUNT HOOD, Ore. — The search for a snowboarder who disappeared on Mount Hood early this week is over, with the Hood River County Sheriff's Office (HRCSO) confirming that his body was found late Friday afternoon in a creek under an apparent avalanche.
30-year-old Ryan Mather of Aloha was first reported missing Tuesday night after he didn't return from a snowboarding trip to Mt. Hood Meadows.
Search efforts started almost immediately, ramping up on Wednesday. However, the search mission headed by HRCSO was suspended Thursday evening after they found no sign of Mather.
Late Friday afternoon, members of the Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Patrol found evidence that someone had been buried under avalanche debris in Clark Creek, in the Heather Canyon area.
With the sun going down and the recovery requiring more resources, the attempt to find Mather's body was pushed to Saturday morning. The Ski Patrol and HRCSO staff pulled his body from the creek around 10:30 a.m. after about two hours of work with a rope team.
HRCSO noted that the area is mostly rated black or double black diamond, meaning it is recommended only for advanced or expert skiers and snowboarders.
The body was quickly confirmed to be Mather's. The sheriff's office said that his family was notified by late morning on Saturday.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ryan’s family,” said Hood River County Sheriff Matt English. “This has been an incredibly difficult and heart-wrenching five days for them.”
The five-day active search operation happened through a range of weather and snow conditions, the sheriff's office underlined, with much of the area under active avalanche warnings that endangered search teams.
“We are extremely thankful to all of the agencies and organizations that helped search for Ryan and ultimately recover him for his family,” English said.