Search underway for missing snowboarder at Colorado ski resort

Deputies searched an area where Gill's phone last pinged and where he commonly snowboards, saying there's no indication he would have gone out of the bounds of the ski area. 

Authorities are still searching for a snowboarder who went missing at Vail Mountain Ski Resort on Friday.

Connor Gill, a 26-year-old Denver resident, is an intermediate snowboarder and knows the Vail area, a friend told Vail Daily. The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office reported Gill's last pass scan was at 8:50 a.m. Friday at the Avanti Express chairlift. Gill told a friend he was with that he was going to be doing laps around the area, the sheriff's office said. No one has seen him since.

A friend reported Gill missing to Vail Ski Patrol at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. The patrol team initiated the search that day, and Vail Mountain Rescue joined the search over the weekend.

Deputies searched the area where Gill's phone last pinged and where he commonly snowboards, saying there's no indication he would have gone out of the bounds of the ski area. 

According to the Eagle County Sheriff's Office, dogs were used in the search efforts on both Saturday and Sunday although strong winds caused visibility issues throughout the weekend. Search and rescue crews reported it was snowing sideways around Avanti Sunday, Sgt. Bob Silva with the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office told Denver7.

Vail Mountain received nearly 30 inches of snowfall between Friday and Sunday so the search for Gill was scaled back Monday.

Gill was last seen wearing an orange ski suit with blue accents on the top portion and a grey helmet. He was riding a Salomon snowboard and is an intermediate. Authorities are encouraging anyone who was at Vail Mountain Friday to review any photographs or videos they may have taken to see if they can spot Gill. This could help ascertain where he was last snowboarding before he disappeared.

On Sunday afternoon, numerous mountains in Colorado were subject to avalanche watches and special avalanche advisories. According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), the significant accumulation of snow coupled with high winds substantially altered the avalanche risk.

"These avalanches might be restricted to the surface layer of snow or could extend down to the ground, similar to recent occurrences near Cameron Pass," the CAIC noted on Sunday.

Those venturing into the backcountry should expect to encounter over 8 inches of fresh or wind-deposited snow and should keep an eye out for signs of instability, such as cracking and collapsing within the new snow layers.

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