PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The search for 30-year-old Ryan Mather has entered its second full day as authorities scoured backcountry areas of Mount Hood to no avail all day Wednesday.
Crews concluded the day’s seach at 5 p.m. Thursday, with no sign of Mather.
The snowboarder went missing after reportedly going to Mt. Hood Meadows alone on Tuesday, never returning home. His last location was traced back to the Shooting Star Express chair lift where logs show Mather swiped his pass before disappearing.
Rescuers have narrowed the search to the technical black diamond and double black diamond areas around Heather Canyon and the Private Reserve. The two areas remain closed to the public Thursday.
Warmer weather overnight and into Thursday has complicated the search as Mt. Hood’s higher elevations are seeing temperatures above freezing, the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office said. There is also a risk of avalanches in the area for those on the rescue teams.
Authorities said the Shooting Star Express chair lift provides some access to backcountry trails and they believe Mather may be somewhere off the beaten path.
“One of the issues is that you can really get out to a lot of different terrain areas so our searchers are estimating hundreds of acres and that does include areas of Heather Canyon and parts of the backcountry that you can access,” Hood River County Sheriff Matt English told KOIN 6 News on Wednesday.
Despite his solo trip to the mountain, family members told officials Mather is an experienced snowboarder. Several agencies including Oregon Emergency Management and the Oregon Air National Guard have been called in to help with the search.
KOIN 6 News will provide updates as more information becomes available.