Ski Death After Tree Collision
An 18-year-old Cummington, Mass. man died Tuesday after striking a tree while skiing in Wyoming at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The victim, a freshman at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore., was reported missing around 10 p.m. on Tuesday after he was last seen by friends exiting the Aerial Tram atop Rendezvous Mountain at approximately 3 p.m. Officials first treated his disappearance as a missing persons case, but shortly after 10 p.m. 20 members of Jackson Hole Ski Patrol and Teton County Search and Rescue boarded the resort's Aerial Tram to begin a search.
The college freshman was found unresponsive at the bottom of a tree island below Hanging Rock Traverse near Rendezvous Bowl around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. He was transported by ski patrol staffers to Teton Village Clinic, where he was pronounced dead. It was not immediately clear whether the victim was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.