Advertisement

Mystery surrounds snowboarder’s death

A Gold Coast man has died mysteriously while snowboarding at the New South Wales Snowy Mountains just two weeks after he arrived on a working holiday.

Gerard Berger, 25, has been snowboarding with a group of friends at Perisher Resort when he disappeared and was found dead nearly 12 hours later on Wednesday night, according to reports in News Corp.

Last night Mr Berger’s family gathered in prayer as they remembered a brother and son who was “everybody’s light”.

“He just loved it (at Perisher) and he loved the snow,’’ his brother Rudi, 23, said.

“The last pictures on Facebook that he posted was him really enjoying himself.

“The people who have called me from there, his workmates… they told me that he was having the time of his life that day and he was the happiest they had ever seen him.’’

Mr Berger was an experienced snowboarder who was familiar with the trail that claimed his life and had fallen about 20m behind a group he was snowboarding with when he disappeared, according to Rudi.

Police told the family the creek in the snowboarding run could be difficult to see when it was covered with snow.

“By the time he must have realised the creek was there, apparently it’s very deep, he may have tried to stop himself from going in but it was too late,’’ Rudi said.

“He’s basically hit the other side of the bank possibly and fell backwards into the creek and because he’s got heavy clothing and the snowboard strapped to his feet he must have just drowned or hit his head on a rock and passed out.”

The snowboarders who were with his brother tried to find him but assumed he had returned to his room.

The alarm was raised later that night after Mr Berger failed to show for work.

“He was everybody’s light. He left a bit of joy in every single person he ever met. Everybody he’s ever met would never forget him,” his brother said.

The resort’s CEO Peter Brulisauer said the death was a “tragic accident”.

A post mortem will be conducted.

Advertisement
Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter.
Copyright © 2025 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.