A 62-year-old skier who went missing Monday at Heavenly Mountain ski resort was found dead Tuesday morning.
The body of Brett Herrick of Seaside, Calif., near Monterey, was found around 10 a.m. on Tuesday (Feb. 19). His body was discovered by Heavenly Ski Patrol and a K9 search dog in a wooded area between the Comet and Dipper runs.
Herrick’s body was located about 100 feet from the groomed trail, according to a release from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
The death was reportedly the second in the 2018-19 season at Tahoe ski resorts. The first fatality took place Feb. 3 at Northstar California when 30-year-old employee Andrew McDowell of Tahoe City died in a skiing accident. No details were given regarding how the incident happened.
“Heavenly Mountain, Heavenly Ski Patrol and the entire Vail Resorts family extend our deepest sympathy and support to our guest’s family and friends,” said Mike Goar, Heavenly Mountain Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, said in a statement issued by the resort.
At the time of his disappearance, Herrick had reportedly been skiing with his girlfriend. However, the couple separated from each other as Herrick choose a more difficult path through the trees while his girlfriend continued down the groomed run.
Search and rescue teams began searching for him around 4:30 p.m. on Monday when Heavenly called Douglas County Emergency Communications after learning of the lost skier. The search was assisted by a helicopter dispatched from the Naval Air Station in Fallon.
The search also included rescue units from Washoe, El Dorado and Placer counties in addition to Douglas County. Those teams were also assisted by Heavenly Ski Patrol and the Tahoe Nordic Group.
The initial investigation reveals that Herrick likely fell while skiing in the trees and could not escape the deep powder that had been falling at Heavenly Mountain for more than a week. Heavenly reportedly received 31 inches of fresh snow Monday morning and 105 inches over the past week.
Due to the extreme amount of snowfall over the past week, Tahoe ski resorts had been issuing warnings about the risks of deep snow immersion and tree wells to the large number of skiers and snowboarders visiting over Presidents’ Day weekend.
An autopsy of Herrick’s body will be conducted sometime this week. Rescuers believe he likely suffocated in the snow or died of exposure.
Herrick was reportedly a carpenter who worked in the Monterey and Carmel area, and was often involved in building multi-million-dollar homes on the famed 17-Mile-Drive in Pebble Beach.
