Brazilian exchange student dies in snowboarding accident on Grouse Mountain

A 16-year-old snowboarder has been found dead on Grouse Mountain after being separated from his friends Friday night.

North Shore Rescue was called in to search for the Brazilian exchange student at around 7:30 p.m. after friends reported him missing.

A field team was able to track a ping from his cell phone that led to the boy’s backpack, which was stashed at a ski lift below the peak.

After a thorough search of the mountain, crews found the boy at around 9:30 p.m. near Heaven’s Sake.

NSR spokesperson Tim Jones said the boy was in cardiac arrest and crews were not able to resuscitate him.

The snowboarder had ventured off the main trail and fell about 30 feet, hitting rocks and trees on his way down.

Jones said his friends alerted officials right away and did exactly what they should have done.

“I take my hat off to them… something was wrong and they knew it,” he said. “There was no delay in looking for him,” he said.

The student was reportedly a novice at snowboarding and wasn’t wearing a helmet.

His family in Brazil has been notified, but his identity hasn’t been released by Canadian authorities.

Brazilian media outlet Globo is reporting that the youth is 17-year-old Luca Marcondes Cesar. He was studying English in Vancouver and was supposed to return home to São José dos Campos, Brazil on January 19, 2014.

He had been living in Canada since August. Cesar is reportedly the son of a prominent Brazilian architect.

The family plans to have his body cremated in Canada.

“We are seeing the legal procedures to resolve this situation. Believe that bringing the body back to Brazil will prolong the suffering of the family. We are very shaken,” the family told Globo in Portuguese.

Grouse Mountain issued the following statement Saturday afternoon:

“Grouse Mountain expresses our deepest and most sincere condolences to this individual’s family and friends for their extremely tragic loss and we are providing full support to all parties involved during this very difficult time.”

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