The Sheriff's Department and San Miguel County Search and Rescue are continuing their search for well-known local snowboarder Eric Banks.

Banks was last sighted by investigators arriving at the Thorne plane crash site Thursday afternoon. When the snowmobiling investigators sighted him, Banks hurriedly 'boarded away, traversing down into Upper Bik Basin. The investigators reportedly called to Banks, warning him of deteriorating weather and the lateness of the hour, but he ignored them, and vanished from view.

Banks's friend Nicky Davidson reported that Banks had "been bummed lately, over some babe. He was acting really wierd, like talking about death, and how when the world gets too gnarly, the gnarly get going, like that."

Asked why he thought Banks might have been up at the plane crash site, Davidson said, "Not a clue. Like I said, he was acting wierd. Babe trouble'll do that to a dude."

Search efforts have been hindered by the storm system, with overcast skies, snow flurries and high winds, that has been hunkered down over the San Juan Mountains for the past several days, and is expected to last through the weekend.