Skier killed at Lookout Pass

MINERAL COUNTY – An Idaho skier was found dead of suspected blunt force trauma on the Montana side of the Lookout Pass Ski Resort last week after she was reported missing by family members.

The accident occurred sometime on March 8 but it was unclear exactly what time of day the incident happened. The body wasn’t located until approximately 1 a.m. Monday March 9. Mineral County Sheriff Tom Bauer said the search and rescue team that found the individual was from Idaho but because the body was found in Montana, his office was involved in the operation.

Bauer said the victim was 61-year-old Mary Jane Bair of Wallace, ID. He said she was a teacher at a school in Wallace. It was determined the victim impacted a tree while skiing at the Lookout Pass Ski Resort. Her daughter reported her missing which was when the search and rescue operation began. Bauer said Mineral County Search and Rescue was not involved in the operation.

“The only role I played in this was as coroner because she died on the Montana side of Lookout Pass,” Bauer said. “Shoshone initiated search and rescue and it was the sheriff over there who actually found her.”