Body Of Missing Sugar Bowl Ski Instructor Located Under 5 Feet Of Snow

TRUCKEE ( AP/CBS) -- Rescue teams have found the body of a 23-year-old ski instructor who went missing more than a month ago at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort near Donner Lake.

Authorities say rescue teams found the body of Carson May, who was last seen Jan. 14 while skiing off duty at Sugar Bowl ski resort, not far from Truckee.

The Placer County Sheriff's Office says the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue team and El Dorado County Search and Rescue dog teams were training at Sugar Bowl when they located May's body Monday.

May's body was found under 5 feet of snow near where his cellphone last "pinged," according to the sheriff's office.

The resort says May's body was found about a quarter mile out of bounds in an avalanche-prone area.

A four-day, intensive search for May, carried out by dozens of volunteers and authorities was suspended due to harsh weather.

The search was prompted after May failed to return home from the resort on January 15th and was reported missing by friends the next morning.

Authorities said May did not show up for his ride home on January 14 and by the next morning, it was clear that he never made it home. May's belongings were still in his locker at the resort.

Despite an avalanche warning in effect in the mountains around Lake Tahoe, rescuers continued their search for May, after a winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow at upper elevations. The search resumed over the three-day weekend before being concluded.

Conditions during the days of searching were treacherous due to frequent heavy snow.

Placer County Sheriff's personnel, Sugar Bowl representatives and chaplains met with the May family after suspending the search back in January.

"It is with regret that we must suspend the efforts to locate Carson," the Placer County Sheriff's Office's said in a statement.

The Office expressed appreciation to the many who volunteered to help with the search and the Sugar Bowl staff who worked tirelessly to assist in finding May despite the hazardous conditions.