Whitefish Man Dies While Snowmobiling in Canyon Creek
Crews recovered the body of 87-year-old Charles Kind in the south canyon area beyond the Whitefish Mountain Resort boundary on Dec. 14
By Maggie Dresser
Search and rescue (SAR) teams on Dec. 14 recovered the body of an 87-year-old Whitefish man who was snowmobiling solo in Canyon Creek outside of the Whitefish Mountain Resort boundary after he was reported missing the day before, according to Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino.
Two Bear Air located Charles Kind in the south canyon area of the Canyon Creek trail system about four to five miles beyond a groomed trail in a remote area at about 4:30 p.m.
The sheriff’s office on the evening of Dec. 13 received a report of a missing snowmobiler who had left for a ride up Canyon Creek Road north of Columbia Falls and was expected to be home by 2 p.m. About 30 searchers from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Two Bear Air, and North Valley and Flathead SAR teams were dispatched that evening at around 5 p.m.
Two Bear Air was unable to fly until the following day due to snowy conditions, but a break in the weather allowed crews to fly the afternoon of Dec. 14. A crew member spotted the snowmobile light at about 4 p.m., which was still on. Kind was with his snowmobile when he was located, and crews hoisted his body on the aircraft.
“It looked like he got stuck and it appeared the snowmobile was buried,” Heino said.
Heino said the zone that Kind was riding in hadn’t been packed down by other riders and the snow conditions were “sugary” and entailed complex riding. No avalanches were involved in the incident.
The cause of death is unknown at this time, Heino said.