It sounds to me like he didn't want to come back. Why else would he wander out into a blizzard on a mountain with no protective clothing? I wonder how things were going for him at the Academy prep school.

Dad should have taught common sense to his boy.

Deserter?

Gumby, you can’t be court martialed for running away from yer prep school.

Only the armed forces, both active duty and active reserve service members who abandon their posts for more than 72 hours are considered "deserters".

Both missing parties will likely be found eventually, unless they really wandered off to someplace bizarre.