A Skier who went missing at Lost Trail Powder Mountain on December 22nd, 2015 has finally been recovered. The body of Corvallis resident, Bart Allen Pickard was discovered by a ski instructor on Saturday. The instructor was skiing on the south side of the ski area in the meadows trail zone when he noticed a piece of Pickard’s equipment in the snow.
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The body was later found in roughly 4 feet below the snow surface in a tree well just a few yards off the Meadows trail.
Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office Press Release
The body of the skier missing at Lost Trail Ski Area since December 22 has been located and recovered.
Ravalli County Sheriff Chris Hoffman said that a ski instructor at Lost Trail found Bart Allan Pickard’s body on the south side of the ski area, near the Meadows Trail, at approximately 3:30 PM on Saturday (January 16, 2016). Lost Trail management contacted Ravalli County 911 shortly thereafter. Ravalli County Search and Rescue members were on scene and worked with Lost Trail Ski Patrol members to recover Mr. Pickard’s body.
Hoffman said that high winds in the area had cleared some of the snow covering Pickard, and the instructor noticed a piece of his ski equipment. Hoffman went on to say that Pickard was found partially lying in a tree well under about four feet of snow, twelve to fourteen feet off the trail.
Cause of death is still under investigation at this time and Hoffman said that the body has been taken to the Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula.
*Our deepest condolences go out to the victim’s friends and family.