Backcountry skier missing since April 19 found dead in Sierra

Staff, rgj.com, May. 6, 2012   A backcountry skier missing since April 19 has been found dead in the Sierra, authorities report.The body Boris Avdeev, 31, of Ann Arbor, Mich., was located Thursday afternoon in Cocaine chute, a popular backcountry skiing site, the Mono County Sheriff’s Office reported Friday. The cause of death is unknown. He had been skiing alone. Search and rescue teams, assisted by a Black Hawk helicopter, were continuing efforts to recover Avdeev’s body from the chute, the sheriff’s office said. ... http://www.rgj.com/article/20120504/NEWS13/120504025/Backcountry-skier-found-dead-Sierra

On May 1, police found a note left under the windshield wiper of Avdeev’s Honda Civic stating he was heading up Mount Dana Couloir for the day to ski down Cocaine Chute. Search and rescue teams from surrounding counties scoured the mountains for days before locating him. Avdeev was a doctoral candidate in the Earth and Environmental Sciences department at U-M from 2006 to 2011, when he graduated with a specialty in tectonics. A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Avdeev was also a specialist in the geology of the Greater Caucus Mountains. According to U-M assistant professor Nathan Niemi, his former student was working for him part-time while living out West. Niemi said Avdeev was scheduled to start a post-doctorate fellowship at the University of California - Berkley in the fall.Avdeev was an experienced backcountry skier and had spent a lot of time in the outdoors, according to Niemi. “He was a very friendly and outgoing guy,” Neimi said. “People liked Boris.” http://www.annarbor.com/news/crime/authorities-find-ex-u-m-students-body-in-ski-area/