30-year-old snowboarder vanishes from Oregon mountain, leading rescuers to scour area

Update: The body of Ryan Mather was found buried in avalanche debris Friday afternoon, April 8, near Clark Creek, the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office said. His body was recovered Saturday.

A snowboarder never returned home after spending the day at an Oregon ski resort, deputies said.

Ryan Mather, a 30-year-old from Aloha, was reported missing on Tuesday, April 5, after he vanished from the Mount Hood Meadows resort, the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office said.

His girlfriend told deputies he never returned home at about 9:30 p.m.

Ski Patrol found Mather’s car at the resort, which led rescuers to begin searching.

Rescuers scoured the area looking for Mather, but overnight operations weren’t successful. Additional search operations began Wednesday, April 6.

More than 40 people on 14 teams searched for Mather on April 6. The teams used helicopters and drones.

“Ground crews had to contend with increasing avalanche dangers in much of the search area as temperatures rose in the afternoon,” deputies said in a news release.

The search will continue Thursday, April 7, with skiers on the black diamond areas, the sheriff’s office said.

Mount Hood Meadows is among the largest ski resorts in Oregon. It is about 67 miles east of Portland.

This story was originally published April 7, 2022 at 10:00 AM with the headline "30-year-old snowboarder vanishes from Oregon mountain, leading rescuers to scour area."