Manslaughter Trial to Start in Death on Ski Slopes

A skier goes on trial this week, accused in a manslaughter case of allegedly killing another skier three years ago in a high-speed collision on the slopes, in what is said to be the first criminal trial of its kind in the U.S.

“This case is unique in that for the first time a jury will decide the facts in a ski death,” said Eagle County Dist. Atty. Michael Goodbee, who is prosecuting the case. “A jury in this community needs to hear all the details.”

Although there have been other criminal charges filed in similar ski-death cases, defendants have reached plea agreements before going to trial, he said.

Nathan Hall, 22, a former ski-lift operator at the Vail Mountain ski resort, was charged in April 1997 with manslaughter, accused of recklessly causing the death of 33-year-old Alan Cobb by colliding with him. Cobb died of massive head injuries from the impact.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in Eagle County.

According to court documents, Hall had just completed his shift on the mountain and was speeding down the slope. Eyewitnesses said Hall was out of control, became airborne and then hit Cobb.

At a preliminary hearing, coroner Ben Galloway testified that “it would take considerable force” to cause the fatal injuries to Cobb, who officials say died when Hall’s ski penetrated the thickest part of his skull.

“You most commonly see this type of fracturing when someone is thrown out of an automobile or a moving vehicle,” Galloway said.

Porter Wharton III, spokesman for Vail Resorts Inc., operator of the mountain resort where the death occurred, said it was too early to tell how a guilty verdict would affect the industry.