The body of a 36-year-old man who perished while on a ski expedition in Gaspé provincial park was found by a pair of skiers yesterday.

Bertrand Marcotte of Pont-Rouge, near Quebec City, had been missing since last Sunday.

According to police, Bertrand Marcotte voluntarily left the group he was with before getting lost. (Photo provided by family members)

Marcotte had been on a skiing and hiking trip with friends in the Chic-Choc Mountains but decided to set off on his own with all his gear, including a sleeping bag.

Quebec provincial police say his body was found buried in the snow near the former Madeleine Mine, located about a kilometre away from a warming hut where Marcotte had been expected to take refuge.

Quebec police Sgt. Claude Doiron said two skiers noticed something yellow under the snow at around noon yesterday and began digging. That's when they found Marcotte's body.

The skiers called the park's authorities and the Sûreté du Québec. Officers were still in the area, gathering information from park visitors.

Police had called off the search on Friday after search-and-rescue teams lost hope of finding Bertrand alive.

The search had been hampered by last week's extreme weather. More than 150 centimetres of snow fell in parts of the Chic Chocs over the course of several days, and high winds grounded helicopters.