A 20-year-old male snowboarder was found dead at the Blue Mountain ski resort near Collingwood, Ont. overnight, provincial police say.
Taylor Ogram, from Caledon, Ont., was reported missing by his friends shortly before 1 a.m. The Ontario Provincial Police released a statement Wednesday saying they found the snowboarder in a wooded area adjacent to the resort’s ski hill near the South Base Lodge.
Blue Mountain staff and security were already searching for the man when police arrived at the scene. He was found shortly after police arrived.
He was suffering from life-threatening injuries and was transported to hospital in Collingwood, Ont., where he was pronounced dead. Ogram was wearing a helmet when he was found.
Ogram was studying software engineering at Western University according to his Twitter account. He was at the hill with friends during reading week.
When his friends noticed he wasn’t responding to phone calls and text messages, they attempted to locate him, OPP Sgt. Peter Leon said in the statement.
An autopsy is scheduled at Owen Sound Regional Hospital to determine the cause of death.
Blue Mountain spokesperson Ashley Boland said the resort is co-operating fully with the OPP investigation, and that Blue Mountain’s “Sunrise” intermediate run will be closed to aid the ongoing investigation.
Though Ogram was not an employee of the resort, CP24’s Cam Woolley reported that the Ministry of Labour is investigating the death. A recent court decision gives the ministry jurisdiction when a death occurs in circumstances that could happen to an employee in theory.
The resort has closed-circuit video throughout the area, which police will check for evidence as to what happened to Ogram.
Boland said conditions at the ski hill have been good, with five centimetres of snowfall on Tuesday.
Blue Mountain, located about 150 kilometres northwest of Toronto, is open daily until 10 p.m.
