Big unanswered questions remain in the Adirondacks this morning after a skier missing since last Wednesday from Whiteface Mountain suddenly reappeared yesterday 2,900 miles away in California.

Danny Fillipidis, a firefighter from Toronto Canada, had been presumed dead. More than 130 forest rangers, state police, local emergency officials and volunteers were searching a vast expanse of rugged alpine terrain for his remains.

Then he turned up in Sacramento, California on Tuesday.

Skiing with friends, then gone

Fillipidis was skiing with friends, last seen at mid-station on Whiteface before he vanished. Law enforcement agencies on Tuesday were scrambling to investigate what happened and how he traveled from this resort community near Lake Placid to the Sacramento, California airport.

State Police in New York said FIllipidis "was located alive and in good health in Sacramento, California. He has made contact with local authorities there," according to a statement.

"The circumstances regarding this case are under investigation, and further details will be released at a later time," police added.

The Toronto Star reported that Fillipidis called his wife and she urged him to call 911. According to the newspaper, Fillipidis was found near a rental car terminal at the Sacramento airport. They say he was still wearing his full ski gear, including helmet and goggles.

NCPR hasn't been able to confirm that.

Investigations underway

So far, authorities here in New York and in California haven't released any information about how he might have traveled from Whiteface to California. Some press reports indicate Fillipidis may have been disoriented, unable to provide details.

Toronto Fire chief Matthew Pegg issued a statement yesterday on Twitter saying Fillipidis's colleagues are "all very relieved to know that he is safe." Pegg added that he was "in the care of police in Sacramento."

Fillipidis's disappearance sparked a manhunt that meant more than 130 searchers deploying into the field in harsh weather, sometimes risky conditions. For helicopter crews working in high winds, for alpine rescue crews using rope systems to climb down into gullies and ravines on Whiteface, this was a technical and at times hazardous operation.

There's been a lot of speculation on-line about whether Fillipidis might be held accountable in some way for all that expense and effort. There's been no official indication that he could face legal consequences.

ORDA spokesman Jon Lundin previously told NCPR that the disappearance appeared to be unique in Whiteface Mountain. "This is very rare. Nobody can recall that this has ever occurred before," he added.

State police indicate that they will likely provide more information later on Wednesday.