Missing Snowboarder Found Dead at Bottom of 500′ Cliff Near Grand Targhee Ski Resort, WY

Teton County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Thursday that the snowboarder missing from Grand Teton ski resort since last Friday, December 23rd, has been found dead.

Lee Kidd, 34, was found at 11:50am on Thursday buried 2 feet deep in snow in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness near Grand Targhee ski area, WY.  

Lee was found at the bottom of a 500′ cliff northeast of  Steve Baugh Bowl.  Teton County Sheriff’s Office is confident that Lee fell from the cornice above the bowl, then fell the length off the bowl, and off the 500′ cliff.

Lee died from severe trauma.

Lee’s ski pass had been scanned at the Dreamcatcher lift at Grand Targhee Ski Resort at 10:45 a.m. on December 23rd, 2016.

Search and rescue crews have been looking for Lee since his disappearance on December 23rd.

Lee was living in Driggs, Idaho.

TETON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE PRESS RELEASE:

At approximately 11:50 a.m. on Thursday, December 29th, a 34-year-old man, Lee Kidd, was found deceased and buried in snow  in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness  near the Grand Targhee ski area of Wyoming.  Kidd had been missing since December 23rd when he did not report to work.   His ski pass had been scanned at the Dreamcatcher lift at Grand Targhee Ski Resort at 10:45 a.m. that day.  Search teams have been looking for him ever since his disappearance.

He was found pursuant to information provided by a friend of Kidd’s to Teton County Sheriff’s Office investigators.  That information led searchers to the area.  Once in the area, searchers found a snowboard due to its bindings sticking up from the snow.    Searchers then started using  K-9 teams in order to try and locate Kidd.  One K-9 began showing interest in a specific area of the search.   Teams started to dig in this area, and Kidd was located a short time later buried about two-feet deep in the snow.    It is presumed he had been buried since last Friday, the day he was reported missing.

The specific area where Kidd fell is a mountain bowl just to the northeast of  Steve Baugh Bowl.  This bowl, which is not skiable due to leading to an unavoidable 500 foot cliff, is very steep.  It is with confidence that rescuers believe Kidd fell from the cornice above the bowl, then fell the length of the bowl and then over the cliff.  He came to rest in the area that is known as “Beard’s Wheat Field.”  Kidd suffered severe trauma.  While cause of death is yet to be determined, preliminarily it is believed he didn’t survive the fall.

The search teams consisted of many organizations.  Special thanks to the Grand Targhee Ski Resort and the members their ski patrol.  Also heavily involved in the search was Teton County Search and Rescue, Teton County Sheriff’s Office and  Grand Teton National Park.   All searchers wanted to express condolences to the family and friends for their loss.

Sheriff Jim Whalen, while also offering condolences, wants also to  thank the very dedicated and hard working searchers.  They committed their time and energy through the holiday season in order to find Lee Kidd.  Even though the end result was tragic, those searchers deserve a big pat on the back.