Snow along the Keyhole Route at Rocky Mountain National Park on October 20, 2018. Since then, more snow has fallen in the park's high country/NPS

Winter's arrival at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado has brought an end to the active search for a New Jersey man who was reported missing a month ago.

It was back on October 4 when Ryan Albert, 30, of Marlton, New Jersey, was last seen in the park. Another backcountry traveler reported seeing him at about 10:30 a.m. that day in the area of Granite Pass, heading toward the Keyhole on Longs Peak, the park's tallest mountain with a summit of 14,259 feet. Search efforts began the next day, though by then poor weather had set in, the beginning of a multi-day weather pattern of extreme conditions including low visibility and fog, thunderstorms and snow showers and freezing temperatures in the 20s and 30s.

Search teams faced pockets of deep snow as well as verglas ice, a thin coating of ice on rocks and boulders. These winter conditions have lasted since the beginning of the search efforts, park staff reported Friday, adding that heavier snows have fallen since deep drifts were encountered on the Keyhole Route on October 20.

During the first two days of the search, in challenging weather and terrain, teams were able to search higher elevations, including sections of the Boulder Field, the Keyhole Route, The Loft, Chasm Cirque, North Longs Peak and Boulder Brook. As the snow accumulation and ice continued to build at higher elevations, teams worked lower in the search area throughout the first week.

On Friday, October 12, eight days after Albert was last seen, a break in the weather allowed aerial reconnaissance to take place. In addition to searchers looking from the helicopter, footage was taken of high probability areas. Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members spent the next three days reviewing the extensive footage.

Another significant winter storm began late Saturday, October 13, bringing additional snow accumulation at higher elevations. On Thursday, October 18, through Saturday, October 20, teams went back to the upper mountain at the Keyhole and Ledges area and again faced deteriorating conditions, including waist- and chest-deep snow, steep icy slopes and extremely slow travel.

Due to the conditions, they did not go further than The Ledges on the Keyhole Route. On Sunday, October 21, a team traveled to the Chasm Cirque area and visually searched Lamb’s Slide, Mills Glacier, Camel Gully, and the Chasm View fall line with binoculars and spotting scopes.

Throughout the search efforts, limited clues of Albert's whereabouts have been found. Heavy snow, ice and large boulders can hamper seeing important visual clues. Albert was reportedly wearing gray and black clothing.

Assisting Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members has been Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue based in Boulder County, Trans Aero, Northern Colorado Interagency Helitack and Colorado Search and Rescue Board members. When conditions have allowed, dog teams from Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain Rescue and Front Range Search and Rescue Dogs have also assisted.

In the absence of additional clues, combined with extreme winter conditions at higher elevations that will exist until late spring, the park plans no active search operations during the winter months. On-the-ground efforts will resume in the spring when the snow melts and conditions improve.

Albert is still considered a missing person, and the park's investigation will continue in hopes of gaining further information as to his plans on the day of his disappearance. Park rangers would like to hear from anyone who may have had contact with Ryan Albert or have information on his planned route. You can call (970) 586-1204.