A 77-year-old Wisconsin woman died Tuesday morning at Heavenly Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe after sustaining injuries when she hit a tree.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s office responded to the accident. According to a Sheriff’s department release, Kathryn Strangman, 77, of Madison, Wisconsin, died from injuries after hitting a tree at Heavenly’s Boulder Lodge area, which is located on the Nevada side of the resort.
Emergency responders arrived on scene at the base area of Boulder Lodge around noon. Heavenly ski patrol was the first responders at the site of the accident and attempted lifesaving treatment following the incident.
According to the Sheriff’s department’s press release, an autopsy is scheduled along with an investigation into the incident.
The accident reportedly occurred at the intersection of Crossover and Comet ski runs. The two intermediate runs are located high on the Nevada side of Heavenly ski resort.
Skiing deaths are not uncommon. There are an average of 38 people who die per year in accidents at ski resorts nationwide, according to figures from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). The organization reports that U.S. ski resorts see approximately 56 million skier/snowboarder visits annually.
The most memorable death at a Lake Tahoe ski resort took place on Jan. 5, 1998 when California congressman and former popular entertainer Sonny Bono died at Heavenly when he struck a tree on his final run of the afternoon.
“Fatalities arising from collisions with trees (are) the overwhelming cause of death at ski areas, with approximately 70 percent of all ski/snowboard fatalities in the United States resulting from tree collisions,” NSAA director of risk and regulatory affairs Dave Byrd said in an email to the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
Jeffrey Weidel can be reached at skiweidel@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffweidel and visit his website at www.tahoeskiworld.com.
