Search for missing teen ends in tragedy on Mt. Washington

Mount Washington Ski Resort is shown in this undated file photo.

The search for a missing 15-year-old snowboarder on Mount Washington has ended in tragedy.

The BC Coroners Service has confirmed the teen was found dead Tuesday night after being reported missing by family earlier in the day.

Searchers said he took a chairlift with his sister around 3:15 p.m. She later reported him missing when he didn’t show up at a designated meeting point.

“They split up and had a rendezvous point. Pretty short distance from where they split up to where they were going to meet,” said Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue spokesman Paul Berry.

Ski patrol teams and SAR crews scoured the backside of the mountain to find him, but snowy conditions hampered their efforts.

The search was called off Tuesday around 11 p.m. after the snowboarder’s body was discovered inbounds by a snowmobile search team.

“He was wearing a helmet and goggles. This is an unfortunate accident that probably occurred very quickly,” said BC Coroners Service spokesman Matt Brown.

He said the teen’s body was found in a hole of some kind that may have been a tree well. His cause of death has not been confirmed.

The snowboarder’s identity has not been released by the BC Coroners Service, but CTV News has confirmed his name was Reid Kyfiuk, a student at Claremont Secondary School in Saanich.

An image posted to Facebook appears to show Kyfiuk just moments before he went missing.

“This picture was taken minutes before we lost him on the mountain. Reid is in the green and black jacket. Reid lives on through Christ who is merciful and good. Please say this prayer for him,” the post reads.

The coroners service has asked Mount Washington staff to mark the area where the accident happened, and said it is extremely rare to see a death inbounds on the ski hill.

General Manager Peter Gibson has released a statement on behalf of the resort calling it “a very sad tragedy. Everyone here at the resort sends our sincerest condolences to the family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.”

A coroner and RCMP were expected to return to the scene Wednesday to continue their investigation.