Skier Missing From Crystal Mountain Resort Was Found and Reunited With His Family

Matthew Paddock was reported missing at Crystal Mountain Resort, WA on Sunday around 3:30pm and was found Monday around 12:00pm. He was skiing with his son, when he decided to take a run by himself in some expert terrain on the south side of the resort. Matthew took a wrong turn and somehow ended up in neighboring Mt. Rainier National Park. After he failed to meet up with his son, they reported him missing and the search ensued.

The ski patrol searched for Matthew until 10:00pm Sunday night and then resumed the search at 7:00am Monday morning. He ended up hunkering down for the night in Mt. Rainier National Park by making a nest out of tree branches and stomping out the snow to retain heat. Around 11:30am on Monday morning, Matthew made it to a closed section on Highway 410, where he was able to send a text to his wife telling her that he was alive and well.

Shortly after contacting his wife, Crystal Mountain staff located Matthew via snowmobile and brought him back to the Resort, where he was reunited with his family around noon on Monday. Thanks to outstanding search efforts by Crystal Mountain and Matthew’s survival knowledge, everyone walked away from this situation unscathed.