Skiing is among the most popular winter sports in the world. Along with snowboarding, alpine skiing is easy to start but hard to master. However, unless done carefully, skiing can also be a dangerous sport. Shredding down man-made or mountain slopes at incredible speeds doesn’t leave much margin for error. Even some of the best skiers in the world, like Lindsey Vonn, have crashed multiple times during their careers. On March 5, a 13-year-old boy met with an accident while out in the snow at a Wisconsin resort.

However, the crash was severe and the boy’s life was at stake, while emergency medical services tried their best to save the boy

A fatal collision with an immovable object

The 13-year-old was skiing at the Christmas Mountain Village in the Dells area of Wisconsin. The resort is on the outskirts of Wisconsin, and guests staying at the resort can go skiing. However, the fun activity turned into a nightmare when the young skier crashed into a tree and fell unconscious.

It’s unknown how fast the boy was going when the fatal collision happened. However, after the crash, people rushed to the scene and alerted EMS and the Delton Fire Department on Sunday, around 3:25 pm. Dells-Delton EMS Director Dillon Gavinski released a statement saying when they arrived at the scene, someone was performing CPR in hopes of resuscitating the 13-year-old.

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Gavinski also said the young skier had no pulse after colliding with the tree. The medical service personnel immediately got to work. Despite their life-saving efforts, the boy tragically passed away. According to a report by the Wisconsin State Journal, the boy was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Besides the EMS and Fire Department, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office, UW MedFlight, and Christmas Mountain Ski Patrol also responded to the incident on March 5, 2023.

The dangers of skiing

While fun and exhilarating, even professionals are at risk while ripping down mountain slopes at break-neck speeds. Pro skier Kyle Smaine hailing from South Lake Tahoe, passed away last month while skiing in Japan. Photographer Grant Gunderson recounted the events that led to Smaine’s death in an Instagram post.

According to Gunderson, the American was near the base while another party of skiers was skiing above. However, “A second skier from the other group triggered an avalanche,” which barreled down the slope, flung Smaine 50 m into the air, and buried him. The pro skier didn’t make it out alive.

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While putting on a pair of skis is easy, safety gear and awareness of one’s surroundings can mean the difference between life and death if things go wrong.