A Boise man was found dead in a tree well in the Meadow Bowl area at the Brundage Mountain Ski Resort Sunday morning, Adams County Sheriff's Office Capt. Andrew Pajak said.
Brad Peterson, 47, was found dead in a tree well at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. The tips of his skis were spotted by a member of the ski patrol and a friend who were searching for him.
Adams County Coroner Sue Warner ruled the cause of death suffocation, Pajak said.
"Our hearts go out to Mr. Peterson's friends and loved ones," a statement from Brundage Mountain Ski Resort said. "We also want to send our most heartfelt thanks to the dozens of volunteers who stepped forward to aid in the search effort."
Peterson was skiing the last run of the day in the Meadow Bowl area between the Centennial Lift and the 45th Parallel ski run, Pajak said. When Peterson did not join the group at the bottom of the run, the group contacted the ski patrol.
A search was initiated at 5 p.m. and suspended after 11 p.m. on Saturday due to safety concerns for the search party. The search began again on Sunday morning.
"The risk to the searchers becomes too great, to the point where you are putting more people at risk instead of trying to accomplish the goal," Pajak said. "The ski patrol had little LED head lamps on their helmets searching for him Saturday night. The volunteers did a great job searching for him."
Ski patrol members were paired with friends who had been skiing with Peterson while they searched for him, Pajak said.
Peterson's body was found as Pajak was arranging for the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue team out of Boise.
"He went into the tree well back first," Pajak said. "The snow then fell on top of him."
A tree well accident is known as a non-avalanche related snow immersion death. A skier falls into an area of deep unconsolidated snow and becomes immobilized. If a person is not there immediately to rescue the victim, he or she can die quickly from suffocation.
The tree well that Peterson fell into was about 11 feet deep, Pajak said.
Peterson had about six feet of snow on top of him, he said.
