The Colorado Sun conducted a survey of 16 county coroners across Colorado, noting deaths recorded at the states 27 open ski areas. Throughout the 2024-25 season, at least 13 people died at a ski area in the state, 10 of which occured on intermediate or beginner runs.
Eight of those who passed skiers and five were snowboarders, with three being women and 10 being men. The ages ranged from 20 to 76, with five of the deaths coming days to weeks after an accident at a ski area. One individual suffocated in deep snow, two died from heart attacks, and 10 died from trauma after a fall.
The number marks a decrease from past years, with at least 15 people dying in the 2023/24 season and 17 people dying in the 2022/23 season. Colorado’s rate of on-mountain deaths is significantly higher than the national average, representing about one fatality for every million visits. During the 2023/24 season, Colorado’s 15 deaths were close to double the national average.
Both ski resorts and the National Ski Areas Association do not consider medical events, like heart attacks, as on-mountain deaths even if they occured on the slopes of an operating ski area. Read more on Colorado’s ski area deaths here.
