a news release from the National Park Service. Moder was originally from West Germany — the post-World War II name prior to the country’s reunification in 1990 — and living in Fort Collins, Colorado at the time.
His roommate reported him missing on Feb. 19 after he did not return from a two-to-three night ski mountaineering trip over Thunder Pass and into the park, officials said.
A search operation began but the efforts were hampered by "over a foot of snow" that fell in the area, preventing rescuers from finding any possible tracks. "A food cache belonging to Moder was found at the mouth of Box Canyon, in the northwest corner of the park.