Rescue Team Finds Body of Man Buried by Mt. Baldy Avalanche

The body of a 24-year-old Costa Mesa snowboarder who was buried in an avalanche at Mt. Baldy on Jan. 24 was found Saturday, authorities said.

The remains of Michael Pilotti were found by a San Bernardino County sheriff’s search and rescue team about 1:30 p.m. in the Big Butch Wash area of Mt. Baldy, a deep canyon next to the ski area and about a quarter of a mile from the Snow Crest Lodge, Mt. Baldy Fire Chief Bill Stead said.

The victim’s parents, David and Pat Pilotti of New York, had returned to the area last week and appealed to rescuers to redouble efforts to find their son.

A dog team working with the rescuers found Pilotti’s body buried under about five feet of snow, Stead said. He added that search teams had combed the area several times but were finally helped by the melting snow.

“About 20 feet of the snow had melted,” Stead said. “We had been over that area many times, but we just had too much snow.”

Pilotti was snowboarding in an off-limits area with his friend and former employer, Larry Beard, 32, of San Clemente, when the avalanche occurred. Beard’s descent was stopped when he hit a tree.