John Pincombe, who watched the avalanche hit his friend Saturday afternoon and spent an hour trying to dig him out, found some solace in the news, which came at about 12:30 p.m.

"I wish the family the best and I give them my love," said Pincombe, 32, of Pleasant View.

Weber County Sheriff's spokesman Klint Anderson said the body of the 34-year-old Clearfield man, which was found against a tree 100- to 150-feet below where he was boarding, was placed in a sled and hoisted by rescuers on snowshoes and skis to the ridge above. A helicopter then airlifted the body off the mountain.

Anderson said the backcountry slope where Smedley and Pincombe were boarding - west of the Snowbasin Ski Resort boundary - ranges from 45 degrees to 60 degrees, and that complicated both the search and recovery.

Some 40 of Smedley's friends had kept a vigil around a fire at the command center at the top of Ogden's 29th Street since Saturday evening, when news spread of the avalanche.

"I'm kind of relieved we got him off the mountain," said Eddie Buckley, Smedley's friend for 20 years.

George Smedley, an older brother, said family members tried to remain hopeful that Ryan would be found alive, but by Monday morning, that was difficult.

"The reality of it was starting to set in," he said.

Ryan Smedley, the youngest in a family of seven children, lost his mother when he was three and his father four years ago. Two of his three sisters - one is in Arizona - and three brothers were among those waiting for news.

The owner of Lucky 7 Construction Inc., Smedley loved all kinds of boarding: skate, snow and surf. He was always cheerful.

"He'd walk in a room and kids and dogs would get excited," said his brother-in-law, Kevin Bowler.

Smedley, who was single, was spontaneous and loved adventure, said George Smedley.

It was not like his little brother to fail to wear a beacon that could have indicated his location. The run "was probably spur-of-the-moment."

Pincombe said that's exactly what it was.

The two had taken one run down Snowbasin's slopes before Smedley suggested they board down the backside - the west side - of the mountain.

Recent storms had dumped nearly 2 feet of new snow, and though it was about 3 p.m., there was plenty of daylight left.

Taylor Canyon is in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, where there is no avalanche control.

Smedley called a friend from the top of Snowbasin, asking him to meet him and Pincombe at the top of Ogden's 27th Street, George Smedley said.

Boarding near a rocky knob west of Allen Peak, Pincombe headed south while Smedley went north, triggering the avalanche that carried him down the mountain.

Pincombe said he dug in vain for his friend.

Sheriff's officials say Pincombe used a cell phone to call emergency dispatch. He also hiked down to an Ogden home to report his friend as missing.

Rescuers were on the mountain Saturday night, but had to suspend the search because of snow and the danger of more avalanches.

Snowfall overnight increased the danger, and fog and snow kept helicopters from flying near enough to drop explosives to trigger avalanches and make the area safe for searchers until midafternoon Sunday.

Sheriff Brad Slater said search dogs were in the area Sunday, the day before Smedley's body was found, but picked up no scent. Several more inches of snow fell Sunday night, forcing helicopters to drop more explosives Monday morning. Rescuers began combing the avalanche area at about 11:15 a.m.

Anderson said Smedley's body was only about 1 foot below the surface, but it might have been under 5 feet or 6 feet of snow before the explosives were set in the area Sunday and Monday.

Smedley's friends have opened the Ryan Smedley Memorial Account at Wells Fargo to help the family with funeral expenses. Any extra money will be donated to Weber County Search and Rescue.

kmoulton@sltrib.com