The Unusual Case of the Missing Skier
Wine Pairing: Fre Alcohol-Removed Wine (Dry January edition)
Not every case we cover on Murder Through the Grapevine ends in a conviction—or even a crime. Some stories leave more questions than answers. This is one of them.
In February 2018, what began as a routine ski trip to New York’s Adirondacks turned into one of the most baffling missing-person cases in recent memory.
Just the Facts
In February 2018, at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, New York, a Canadian man named Danny Filippidis skied out of the mid-station lodge. When he failed to return to his group by 4:00 p.m., his friends reported him missing.
Five days later, Danny reappeared—nearly 3,000 miles away.
Who Is Danny Filippidis?
Danny Filippidis was a 49-year-old husband, father, and Toronto firefighter. He was in Lake Placid with fellow firefighters on their annual Adirondack ski trip.
At some point during the day, Danny separated from the group. He later explained that he wanted to retrieve his phone, which he had left at the bottom of the mountain. That decision would mark the last time anyone saw him in New York.
About Whiteface Mountain
Whiteface Mountain is the fifth-highest mountain in New York State and one of the High Peaks of the Adirondacks, located just outside Lake Placid.
Opened in 1960
Operated by the Olympic Regional Development Authority
Hosted events during the 1980 Winter Olympics
Features 94 ski trails
The mountain is also home to the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway and Whiteface Castle—projects initiated under then–New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. The terrain is vast, steep, and unforgiving, especially in winter conditions.
The Search Effort
Whiteface Ski Patrol, snowmakers, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers searched the slopes until 4:00 a.m. No trace of Danny was found.
Weather conditions worsened as frigid temperatures and icy snow blanketed the mountain.
Hundreds of volunteers, including friends and fellow firefighters, joined the effort. State and federal agencies established a command center in the ski resort parking lot. Despite the massive search, the mountain remained open to the public.
Days passed with no sign of Danny.
Found—In California
Five days after disappearing, Danny called his wife—not from New York, but from Sacramento International Airport in California.
Just like that, the search was over.
According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, Danny appeared dazed and confused. He was still wearing his ski gear. He told authorities he believed he had been hit in the head and said a truck driver had dropped him off.
He had:
A fresh haircut
A newly purchased iPhone
His credit card
Approximately $1,000 in cash
Danny told the press he had no memory of a fall but believed he had suffered a concussion. He described intense headaches, disorientation, and overwhelming fatigue—so severe that he could do little besides sleep.
What Investigators Believe Happened
According to reporting by the Times Union, investigators later concluded that Danny likely fell near a children’s ski slope and ended up near a children’s programming hub that would have been closed at the time.
Medical evaluations in Toronto—including neurological and neuropsychological testing—confirmed that Danny had suffered a head injury.
At some point after leaving the mountain, he encountered a truck driver who transported him across the country. That driver has never been identified, and authorities have never determined where the truck was headed or where Danny was picked up.
Aftermath
One year later, Danny Filippidis had returned to work as a firefighter in Toronto.
No criminal charges were ever filed. No evidence of foul play was uncovered. Yet key questions remain unanswered—how Danny survived the elements, how he traveled across the country unnoticed, and why his memory of those five days never returned.
Final Thoughts
This case sits in the gray area between true crime and unexplained mystery. There is no villain, no clear motive, and no tidy resolution—just a man who vanished on a mountain and woke up on the other side of the country.
For this episode of Murder Through the Grapevine, we paired the story with Fre alcohol-removed wine, keeping things clear-headed during Dry January while unraveling one of the strangest missing-person cases we’ve ever covered.
Sometimes, the most unsettling stories are the ones without answers.
Links
https://www.adirondacklife.com/2025/02/11/gone-missing-on-whiteface/
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/One-year-later-still-questions-on-how-Whiteface-
13607502.php
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMysteries/comments/1l70jr9/lost_in_the_mountains_found_i
n_california_the/
An interview with Danny:
https://youtu.be/09Vzd5krYPQ?si=EiNPcu9d0G3kkinu
