VANCOUVER - The body of an Edmonton man has been found three days after he went missing on the opening day of a new ski resort in B.C.
Revelstoke RCMP say the 24-year-old failed to meet up with friends on Saturday while they were skiing on Mt. Mackenzie at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort.
Search and rescue crews, resort staff and a local heli-skiing company scoured the mountain for the man and were helped on Christmas Eve by a police helicopter using thermal imaging.
But it wasn't until Christmas morning that crews found the man's body within the bounds of the resort, which opened last week.
Family in Edmonton confirm that the man was Tal Hofstra, who worked as an instructor at a ski hill near the city.
"He loved to ski. He lived to ski ... he was just a great kid,'' the victim's father, Tom Hofstra, told CTV. "You couldn't ask for a better son. He was full of life.''
According to family, Hofstra went to the hill with his girlfriend and another friend, hoping to be the first to ski the slopes at the new facility.
They were all supposed to meet at the bottom, but they became concerned when he didn't show.
Rescuers say Hofstra's body was buried in snow underneath a tree. They believe he skied into a tree well, a patch of loose, light snow that forms underneath tree branches during heavy snowfalls.
Tree wells are dangerous because skiers can become trapped in the loose snow and suffocate.
RCMP say the case has now been turned over the B.C. Coroners Service.
In a statement released Wednesday, management and staff at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort conveyed their condolences to the family.
At Rabbit Hill, Hofstra's boss said the young instructor would be missed.
"Tal genuinely was a special person. He had a passion for skiing . . . He was loved by everyone he worked with.''
