Thanks for digging up that article. I dare say the search is effectively concluded. Some day in the future, somebody will run across some evidence and the event will perhaps be closed.
The search is not necessarily concluded. What sometimes happens is that a training exercise will be run in the area of a previously unsuccessful search. It would likely happen next summer after the snow melts. This provides good training for all concerned.
The search managers get a chance to evaluate what was done in the previous search together with whatever clues were developed. Particularly in a case like this when the search was terminated by the first snows of winter, there are probably still a few areas that were not adequately searched, and are worth some further looking next summer. So the search managers get to plan and manage a new search. The ground pounders get a chance to participate in an actual search for an actual missing person, where there are probably still some clues out there that have not been found. Cadaver dogs get to get in some good practice. These kinds of missions are also a good way to break in rookies on search teams, and evaluate their performance.
Of course this would obviously be a recovery mission, but if successful everyone gets the satisfaction of providing closure to the family. Because it isn't an emergent situation, risks to searchers can be minimized, and it can be planned in such a way to keep costs minimal for the responsible agencies. As I noted above, good training for all concerned.