Big Sky, MT – The body of a Montana man missing since backcountry skiing on Lone Peak in Big Sky in March has finally been found.

A 13-member team from Gallatin County Search and Rescue, using a Recco receiver and search dogs located the body of Brad Gardner, 24, on Friday morning in the Lone Lake Cirque on the peak’s southwest side just days after his father located his son’s ski poles and other items in the Cirque.

“A lot of hard work, much of it performed under very steep and hazardous conditions, has resulted in a recovery,” said Madison County Sheriff Dave Schenk. “We hope this brings some closure to Brad’s family and to the Big Sky community.”

Gardner was reported missing on March 12th of this year. He was last seen on March 9th when he told friends that he was going to make a solo ski trip to the Chippewa Ridge area, located adjacent to Lone Mountain.

His disappearance kicked off an extensive seven-day search that was unsuccessful. Sheriff Schenk said that searchers have been in the area frequently since that time, including Gardner’s father, a physician from Winter Haven, Fla., in an attempt to locate Mr. Gardner’s remains.

According to Dr. Ed Gardner his son, who was reportedly an expert skier who moved to the Big Sky area about a year before his disappearance, obviously fell or was swept off an 800-foot cliff.

“Heavy and deep snow, bad spring weather, along with avalanche danger and rock fall hazard really hampered our (search) efforts,” said Schenk. “But we said we wouldn’t give up and kudos go out to all the volunteers that sacrificed so much of their time and energy. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

Schenck credited a cooperative effort between Gallatin and Madison Counties, including their respective search and rescue groups, in locating Gardner’s remains. The effort included searchers from Bozeman to West Yellowstone, local ski areas, as well as air assets from the Montana Civil Air Patrol, Montana Department of Natural Resources and National Forest Service.

Schenk added that an autopsy would be conducted, which is standard procedure for any unattended death, before turning Gardner’s  body over to his family to bring closure to the incident.