Industry News
The remains of a skier missing since January 2nd were recovered yesterday in the West Basin of Taos Ski Valley, NM. John McCoy, 72, disappeared while skiing alone in an out-of-bounds area of the mountain. Initial investigations suggest he crashed and broke a leg, rendering him immobile and unable to self-rescue, reports the Taos News.
Mr. McCoy was reported missing by his family on January 6th. His blue Subaru was still parked in the resort’s main parking lot and subsequent searches could not find him on the mountain.
“We fear the worst could have happened and collectively are still looking for Mr. McCoy.”
Sheriff Hogrefe in January
The missing man’s body was spotted by hikers earlier this month. Rescuers and patrollers hiked to the spot yesterday and recovered the remains. A ski pass with McCoy’s name was found on the body, but official identification by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator has yet to be confirmed.
John McCoy was born in Maryland and spent his career as a lawyer. Upon retiring he moved to Annapolis, MD, and divided his time between Annapolis and Taos. He was an avid skier and had skied several times in the Alps and the Andes and returned annually for many years to spend four months skiing in Taos. He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro when he was in his sixties.
Taos Ski Valley is a village and alpine ski resort in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 69 at the 2010 census. Until March 19, 2008, it was one of four ski resorts in America to prohibit snowboarding. The Kachina lift, constructed in 2014, serves one of the highest elevations of any triple chair in the North American Continent, to a peak elevation of 12,481 feet.
