Blackcomb Ski Patrol members and volunteers continued to search for 21-year-old Clayton Demers Thursday but RCMP and Search and Rescue teams were pulled off the search Tuesday night, more than 48 hours after the Whistler man was last seen. Demers left his girlfriend at approximately 2:40 p.m. Sunday on Blackcomb. He was last seen heading toward the Jersey Cream area. More than 50 cm of snow fell between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. Overnight temperatures in the alpine were in the -17C range Sunday and Monday nights. On Tuesday ground teams of up to 80 people, including trained search and rescue personnel from the North Shore, Whistler and Pemberton Search and Rescue teams and volunteers, and eight dog teams searched the perimeter area of all runs on Blackcomb. An air search involving infrared cameras mounted on helicopters concentrated on bases of cliffs and steeper areas on the mountain. At 8 p.m. Tuesday night the decision was made by the search and rescue teams and the RCMP to downsize search efforts. "Based on the current lack of concrete clues leading us to where he may be, the search effort has been scaled down," RCMP Cpl. Darryl Little said in a prepared release. "If any evidence is found that leads us to a specific area, the search will be stepped up immediately." Demers was wearing a red and black North Face ski suit, a white turtleneck, blue sweater, purple fleece, purple Blackcomb hat and had white Olin skis. Anyone who would like to help search or who has any information which may help is asked to contact Blackcomb Mountain at 932-3141, the Whistler Search & Rescue Team at 932-2328 or the RCMP at 911.
