Man Dies in 2nd Fatal Ski Accident in 2 Days at Heavenly Valley Resort

A 31-year-old man has become the second person in two days to die in a ski accident at Heavenly Valley Ski Resort.

El Dorado County sheriff’s deputies said the man, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, was skiing fast down Rusutsu Run when he struck a tree early Sunday afternoon. He died of massive head injuries about an hour later at a hospital.

He was the fourth fatality this season in Lake Tahoe ski accidents--all at Heavenly Valley. All four died after hitting trees.

The man died one day after an exchange student from Scotland was killed when he went out of control on Lower Ellie’s Run. Garry David Rogers, 18, who had been attending high school in Healdsburg, suffered massive head injuries.

“We are certainly asking questions about why four fatalities could happen in one season,” Heavenly Valley spokesman John Wagnon said. “It’s very odd to have four fatalities in a season, let alone two on the same weekend.”