A skier riding a lift at Vail ski area spotted the body of a man lying face up in Gore Creek near Lionshead Tuesday morning, reports The Denver Post.
According to police, the man was Maldwyn George Zang, 59, a longtime Vail local. He wasn’t wearing snow gear and there were sunglasses and a backpack (containing a Vail Daily newspaper with a Monday date on it, car keys and a first aid kit) found upstream nearby. There was a cut on the bridge of his nose leading officials to think he may have fallen into the water and hit his head.
The witness was a skier riding a lift at Vail Mountain off Interstate 70 at around 9 a.m. Tuesday. Gore Creek runs through the iconic Colorado mountain town, which is also home to the GoPro Mountain Games each summer.
Resort officials re-routed skiers to different entrances to the resort after the Lionshead access point was closed due to the investigation. It was later re-opened. The case is still under investigation as the town mourns the death of one of its own.
