72-year-old California man dies while snowboarding at Schweitzer

A 72-year-old snowboarder was found unresponsive and pronounced dead Monday at Schweitzer ski resort.

Ski patrol found the man from Laguna Beach, California, after he had been reported missing at about 12:30 p.m. near the black diamond Detention ski run in the Outback Bowl of the back side of the North Idaho resort.

The man was found with the help of another guest skiing in the area, Schweitzer said in a statement.

The unresponsive snowboarder was transported to the base of the resort, where the Bonner County coroner pronounced him dead. The man’s name and cause of death were not released.

Schweitzer directed questions to the coroner’s office. Coroner Robert Beers did not immediately respond to a request for information Thursday.

“Schweitzer extends its deepest condolences to the guest’s family and friends in the wake of this tragic incident,” Schweitzer spokeswoman Taylor Prather said in a statement.

In March 2021, a 49-year-old Liberty Lake man died while skiing at Schweitzer after hitting a tree branch. Heath McHenry’s wife described him as “an expert all-terrain skier capable of any run on Schweitzer Mountain” in an interview with The Spokesman-Review following the incident.

Last year, another 72-year-old man died of a heart attack at the top of Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area near Mullan, Idaho.