Missing Skier Found Dead In NH After Being Buried By Avalanche

SARGENT'S PURCHASE, NH — The New Hampshire NH Fish & Game’s Advanced Search & Rescue Team along with US Forest Service personnel and volunteers from Mountain Rescue Services (MRS) located the body of a missing backcountry skier in Ammonoosuc Ravine on Wednesday.

The rescue crew found the body of the male skier around 6 p.m. They had been searching for the skier since early afternoon.

The skier, Ian Forgays of Lincoln, VT was reported missing by his friends on Tuesday night after failing to return home or answer repeated calls. Initial reports indicated that the skier had planned to ski either Ammonoosuc Ravine drainage or Monroe Brook drainage on Monday.

After the missing person’s report was initiated, a search of multiple trailhead parking lots on Tuesday was conducted in an attempt to locate the skier’s vehicle to confirm he was still in the backcountry. The search failed to locate his vehicle. His vehicle was ultimately discovered Wednesday morning in the snow-filled Ammonoosuc Ravine parking lot.

When his vehicle was located, a search effort was initiated and rescue personnel hiked up into both the Ammonoosuc Ravine drainage and the Monroe Brook drainage despite potential avalanche danger in an effort to locate the skier. The searchers spent several hours scouring both drainages until an avalanche beacon signal was detected around 4:30 p.m. The crew had to dig down approximately 13 feet of packed snow and debris before ultimately discovering the body of the missing skier. Several more hours ensued extracting the body. The search party made it down to the Base Station parking lot at approximately 9 p.m.

NH Fish and Game said backcountry skiing is a risky venture that should only be attempted by the most prepared and experienced skiers. This skier did have years of experience and was prepared — which was evident by his use of an avalanche transceiver, but skiing in avalanche conditions is never recommended and can be extremely dangerous. Without the transceiver, it is possible the skier’s body most likely would not have been located until the snow completely melted in the spring.