Snowboarder Found Dead In A Blackcomb Creek

by The Editors on December 25, 2010

4025794.BinA missing 20-year-old snowboarder was found dead Christmas Day in a “fast flowing creek” in-bounds on Blackcomb Mountain, according to the Vancouver Sun.

It appears that the unidentified male went down a gladed run, fell into the creek and was unable to extricate himself, Whistler Pemberton RCMP Sgt. Steve LeClair said Saturday. . . The snowboarder, who was on a family vacation with his parents and other relatives, went missing late Friday afternoon. He was last seen by a cousin at about 3 p.m. near a treed section of the mountain. . . About 45 cm of snow fell overnight, further delaying the search as ski patrollers conducted avalanche control procedures before searchers could enter the area where the snowboarder was last seen, said LeClair. The man’s body was found by a dog-handler team in the creek.

The cause of death was not yet reported. This is the fifth snowboarding death at a North American resort in the past five days. Our deepest sympathies are with the snowboarder’s family.

Bilde-18[Update December 28, 2010: According to a story in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, the snowboarder found was Cooper Plaxco. He was from Windsor, California and was a sophomore at Humboldt State University. Here’s what probably happened:

“He was down about 15 feet from the surface of the snow,” said Doug Forseth, Whistler Blackcomb resort’s senior vice president of operations. . . Forseth said the creek had been covered in a “snow bridge,” and it “probably just looked like a snow field to him — I think that’s exactly what happened.” . . Plaxco, an avid skateboarder and snowboarder, was wearing a helmet and his board was still attached to his feet when searchers found his body. He was face down with his head underwater.]

[Link: The Vancouver Sun]

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