A 54-year-old man from California died after falling into a tree well between the Gray Wolf and Big Horn runs at Whitefish Mountain Resort Saturday afternoon. Conditions at Whitefish on Saturday were reported to be windy, foggy and “white-out”.
According to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Department, the man was skiing with his son at the time of the incident. When his son realized his father was not with him at the bottom of the run he climbed back up the mountain to look for his father. After following their tracks he found his father’s skis sticking out from the bottom of the tree.
“Our hearts and prayers are with the family and friends affected by this tragedy,” Polumbus said. “Any death is felt deeply by our entire Whitefish Mountain community.”
This is the third tree well related death at Whitefish Mountain since December of 2010, when a German exchange student died after falling into a tree well while skiing on a groomed trail. Just over a year later in January 2011, a 29-year-old snowboarder also died in the same area after falling into a tree well.
Related Post: Tree Wells Account For 20% of All Ski Area Deaths
