Body of Nephi man recovered after avalanche

Body of Nephi man recovered after avalanche

Officials in Emery County have recovered the body of a skier Saturday. An avalanche is being blamed for his death.

The victim has been identified as 26-year-old Michael Besendorfer of Nephi, Utah. 

Two men were skiing late in the afternoon Friday in a side canyon north of Electric Lake in Emery County. One of the men failed to complete a run. The other skier hiked up to look for him and found an avalanche.

After a quick search of the surface, he went for help.

Searchers arrived on the scene around 8:00 p.m. A forecaster from the Utah Avalanche Center arrived to assess avalanche danger.

Due to darkness and inability to access stability of the area, ground search was limited.

The Utah DPS helicopter conducted a search from the air with spotlights.

Around midnight, a decision was made to regroup the following morning, and the search resumed Saturday morning. His body was recovered Saturday around noon.