*** Skier Missing on Blackcomb Mountain, B.C. **


From: Martin Colwell
sar_admin@mindlink.bc.ca 
March 7th, 1996:  - Whistler Village, BC.

Blackcomb Mountain, BC- No Clues Discovered  in Search for Missing Skier.

Whistler resident Clayton DeMers remains missing after more than three days
of intensive searching of Blackcomb Mountain by local volunteer SAR teams.

Clayton DeMers was last at 2:40pm on Monday March 3rd, skiing below the
'Rendezvous' restaurant at the popular skiing destination of Blackcomb
Mountain. He was expected to meet his girlfriend within half an hour, but
failed to keep this appointment.

Despite intensive seach efforts by Whistler, the North Shore and Lions Bay
SAR teams, the Blackcomb Ski Patrol, three avalanche dog teams, the RCMP
FLIR, private helicopters and many friends, no clues or other sign of
Clayton have been found.

Searchers were hampered during the early phases of the search by 50cms/20
inches of snow that fell on Monday afternoon. It is felt that this large
fall of fresh snow may have covered any tracks or clues that might help
determine his whereabouts.

Even with 5,00 to 8,000 downhill skiers on Blackcomb Mountain each day no
clues have been forthcoming. The search has now been scaled down to
searching by the Blackcomb Ski Patrol and members of the Canadian Avalanche
Rescue Dog Association.

Martin Colwell, Lions Bay Search & Rescue

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