Off-duty Northstar employee found dead on ski run

"A skier was found dead Thursday morning at Northstar California Resort, authorities said. The 21-year-old man was reported missing around 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office. After finding his vehicle in the Northstar parking lot, deputies determined he had gone skiing at the resort but did not return as expected. The Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue Team and the Northstar Ski Patrol launched a search for the man early Thursday and found his body on the advanced Sugar Pine Glade Trail."

"We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends during this incredibly difficult time, the sheriff's office said in a statement. The man was a Northstar employee who was off-duty at the time of the fatality, according to the resort. We are heartbroken by this loss, Northstar California Resort General Manager Tara Schoedinger said in a statement. Our deepest sympathies are with his family and loved ones, and with the team members who had the privilege of working alongside him."

"The fatality is the third at the resort within the past two weeks. Nicholas Kenworthy, 26, of Los Angeles, and Stuart McLaughlin, 53, of Hillsborough, were killed in separate skiing accidents, Kenworthy on Feb. 6 and McLaughlin on Feb. 15. Meanwhile, an avalanche in the backcountry near Castle Peak claimed the lives of at least eight skiers Tuesday morning. A ninth person is missing and is presumed dead."

A 21-year-old skier was reported missing around 11 p.m. Wednesday after his vehicle was found in the Northstar parking lot. Deputies determined he had gone skiing but did not return as expected. The Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue Team and the Northstar Ski Patrol located his body early Thursday on the advanced Sugar Pine Glade Trail. He was an off-duty Northstar employee at the time of the fatality. The sheriff's office and resort issued condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. This fatality marks the third at Northstar in two weeks amid other recent skiing and backcountry deaths.

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