BELLINGHAM - A snowboarder was found alive and well Sunday morning, Jan. 29, after he spent the night in a snow cave on Mount Shuksan.

Jakub Cink, 23, of the Czech Republic, was reported missing about 5 p.m. Saturday, three hours after he was last seen on the slopes of the Mt. Baker Ski Area, said Whatcom County Sheriff's Deputy George Ratayczak.

A search party of about 20 volunteers scoured the mountain, Ratayczak said. They talked to people who had seen someone matching Cink's description headed south, in the direction of Lake Ann. They also found his tracks, but by 2 a.m. extreme avalanche hazards curtailed the search.

The search resumed with daylight, and Cink flagged down a member of the search party about 9:20 a.m. in the ski area. He was "uninjured and in good health," Ratayczak said.

Cink told the search party he had gone out of bounds thinking it was a shortcut to the ski area's parking lot, Ratayczak said. Cink got lost and ended up digging himself a snow cave to sleep in for the night. He was an experienced snowboarder, but it was his first time on Mount Shuksan.