Industry News
A California man was found dead last Monday, Feb. 17 at Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort, OR, after another snowboarder was killed in the same area only a day prior, Oregon News reports. The man from California, Tim Bauters, 47, was reported missing by his family after he had failed to show up to work on Saturday. His family said that this was very unlike him, and they feared that something terrible had happened.
Horribly, their fears were accurate. Ski patrol later located Bauters’ body in the resort’s Heather Canyon area on Monday night. They based their search for him in areas near the last lift Bauters rode on Friday before he died, Oregon News reports.
On Sunday, Feb. 16, Ryan Zeinter from Portland, 45, was killed from a fall sustained while snowboarding in Heather Canyon — the same area where Bauters would die the next day. Heather Canyon, situated on the east side of the resort, wields some of Mt. Hood Meadows’ most rugged, extreme double black diamond terrain. The area has steep slopes, open bowls, tight trees, and narrow gullies that have to be accessed by going through any one of several gates that open and close based on the day’s conditions.
Heather Canyon is not patrolled on a regular basis and has avalanche danger at all times.
The exact locations of the two snowboarders’ deaths in Heather Canyon have not been revealed, nor have the precise causes of death. We do know, however, that both snowboarders were riding alone on those fateful days. May they ride in peace.
I’ve skied Heather Canyon. It’s very steep and very long.
On that day, fresh powder had fallen on top of sheet ice. Both those people fell and slid down on the ice, unable to stop. Many people were also injured on these couple of days, in the same area.
My husband and I both went down on that same sheet of ice. I was fine but my husband slid head first all the way down to where the ski patrol was helping someone else who may have been the guy that died. He hurt his neck and hip but he is okay.