The remains of 43-year-old skier Rory Angelotta, who went missing on Christmas Day, have been recovered. But his body was found quite far from the Northstar resort where he had been skiing that day.

We may never know what exactly happened that led to the Angelotta's death, but friends and family now at least have some closure after his remains were recovered on Saturday. As KTVU reports, he was found not far from a residential area, and about three miles north of the boundaries of Northstar — suggesting he had been trying to trek toward civilization in the heavy snow that was falling that day.

Friends were expecting Angelotta at a Christmas dinner on December 25 and later reported him missing. He had told them he was going skiing earlier that day, and his car was found parked at Northstar.

"It is possible Angelotta was attempting to find the neighborhood near Truckee when he succumbed to the elements," the Placer County Sheriff's Office said in a statement, noting the "considerable distance" he appeared to have traveled on foot.

The statement added that "There was no indication of any suspicious or unusual activity."

Around 200 volunteers searched the area for six days up until the new year, but the search was ultimately called off and Angelotta was presumed dead. It was also a near impossible task during the storms that hit the area over Christmas weekend and the week after, with "high winds, whiteout conditions, overnight temperatures in the teens, and over seven feet of new snow since the beginning of the search," the sheriff's office said.

The sheriff's office said that hopefully the news of his remains being found "will provide [his friends and family] closure to this tragic event."

The family put out a statement saying, "The Angelotta family is deeply touched by the overwhelming outpouring of prayers and support during this extremely difficult time and personally wants to thank everyone that accompanied in the search and assisted them during these last two weeks."