Search resumes for skier missing on Big Mountain

The search for missing skier Dr. Jonathan Torgerson, 62, will begin anew this weekend.

Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry told the Daily Inter Lake that some members of his department were in the area Friday preparing to begin searching near Whitefish Mountain Resort.

“I expect there will be about 15 to 20 searchers out there,” Curry said. “We may use Two Bear to ferry searchers in and out of the area.”

The Columbia Falls doctor was last seen Feb. 17 skiing alone near the Flower Point area of the ski resort.

Curry said the decision to begin searching again stemmed from the fact there is less snow coverage, which will allow access to the area and to tree wells.

“We plan to search the same areas we did before,” Curry said.

The search in February had evolved to the point where it was a methodical, tree-by-tree examination of an area between 350 and 400 acres in size. About 150 inches of settled snow covered the terrain then.

About 107 inches of settled snow was on the summit of Big Mountain on Friday. According to the National Weather Service, up to 4 inches of new snow is expected to accumulate on the summit Sunday and Monday.