Body of Missing Snowboarder, Connor Gill, Found Weeks After Vail Mountain Disappearance

The search for Gill was impeded by several feet of snow hitting the area.

March 3, 2025

Image: Connor Gill, 26, went missing on February 14.

Connor Gill, 26, went missing on February 14. Eagle County Sheriff's Office

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Two weeks of exhaustive search efforts ended in tragedy on Friday, February 28, with the discovery of the body of missing snowboarder Connor Gill.

Gill, 26, vanished from Vail Mountain on February 14 amid a winter storm that dumped sixteen inches of snow on the ski resort in one day. His ski pass was last scanned boarding the Avanti Express chairlift shortly before 9 a.m. He was reported missing by his ski partner at around 3:15 p.m.

Officials with Vail Mountain say a body was recovered on Friday. The body has been identified as Gill, the Eagle County Coroner's Office confirmed to Vail Daily on Monday. Eagle County Chief Deputy Coroner McKenna Peoples declined to comment on Gill's cause of death or the specific location of his body, noting that the case is still under investigation.

"On behalf of Vail Mountain and Vail Ski Patrol, we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of our guest," Beth Howard, Vail Mountain Chief Operating Officer, says in a statement. "We appreciate all of the rescue agencies who conducted this search alongside Vail Ski Patrol."

Gill was an intermediate snowboarder from the Denver metro area.

The search for Gill began the day he went missing but was impeded by the weather, with heavy snowfall and wind up to 40 mph making it difficult for officials to use dogs and drones, the Eagle County Sheriff's Office told Denver7. That weekend, Vail Mountain received 27 inches of snowfall in 48 hours, climbing to over fifty inches for the whole week.

The discovery of Gill's body comes as the area has experienced warmer, sunnier weather over the past week.

Over a dozen local and federal agencies participated in the search for Gill, including the Vail Ski Patrol, Vail Mountain Leadership, Eagle County Sheriff's Office, Vail Mountain Rescue, Vail Police Department, Vail Public Safety Communications Center, Beaver Creek Ski Patrol, Breckenridge Ski Patrol, Keystone Ski Patrol, Aspen Mountain Ski Patrol, Summit County Rescue Group, Mountain Rescue Aspen, Lake County Search and Rescue, Garfield County Search and Rescue, Colorado Search and Rescue Association and United States Forest Service.

Hannah Metzger is a staff writer at Westword, reporting on news, arts and culture since joining the staff in October 2023. She previously worked at publications including Colorado Politics and the Denver Gazette, where she covered the Colorado Legislature, the Denver and Aurora city councils and breaking news. Hannah has been honored with numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Colorado Press Association, Colorado Student Media Association and Denver Press Club. She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a major in journalism and a minor in political science.

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