Vail Skier Guilty in Fatal Crash

A skier was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the 1997 death of another skier he ran into on the slopes in a high-speed collision, in the first criminal trial of its kind in the United States, officials said Friday.

Nathan Hall, 21, of Chico, Calif., was found guilty late Thursday in the 1997 death of Alan Cobb, 33, of Denver. Prosecutors had urged the jury--made up of skiers and snowboarders--to send a message that reckless skiing will not be tolerated.

The case has been keenly watched by the $1.5-billion U.S. ski industry, and the outcome is expected to warn those who love speed to rein in overly aggressive behavior.

Witnesses said Hall, a lift operator at the Vail Mountain resort, was skiing extremely fast in poor conditions when he collided with Cobb. Cobb died of head injuries.

“Today our ski slopes in Colorado and the world have been made safer,” prosecutor John Clune said. “You can’t recklessly ski and hurt somebody. I think the whole world should pay attention to this.”

Skiers interviewed after the verdict said the intended message will be heard.

“This is going to put the brakes on even the best skiers,” said Edward Paul, who has skied for 20 years and works at a restaurant. “It has changed my whole outlook.”

Bryan Wilson, a longtime skier who drives heavy equipment, said: “This is really a bummer. Any time you go on the hill you take a risk, and people get out of control all the time. It’s not going to be any fun anymore.”

Hall had been charged with reckless manslaughter, which carries up to 16 years in prison. After 18 hours of deliberations, the jury found him guilty instead of the lesser charge.

He could get as many as six years behind bars at sentencing Jan. 4.

“I think about Alan and his family every day,” Hall said after the verdict. “I am just thankful it is over. I hope for a brighter future for everyone. I have a lot of strong feelings and comments I want to make, but not at this time.”

The Vail Mountain ski resort settled a lawsuit filed by Cobb’s family for about $300,000.

Hall did not testify, but the jury was played a recording made after the accident in which he said he was out of control and unable to stop. Hall described himself as an expert skier who had always been able to stay in control. “It was just this one time,” he said.

The tape was made at an emergency room without his knowledge.

Cobb’s death and the subsequent deaths elsewhere of Michael Kennedy, Rep. Sonny Bono (R-Palm Springs) and other skiers were followed by a crackdown on reckless skiing at several major resorts. Skier deaths declined last year nationally from 39 to 30.

Two courts had thrown out the case against Hall, saying skiing recklessly wasn’t enough to sustain a charge of reckless manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide. But the Colorado Supreme Court ordered the case to trial.

David Perry, president and chief executive officer of Colorado Ski Country USA, a trade group, said he did not believe the case would be precedent-setting. “Death on the slopes is extremely rare and it usually results from a collision with an object like a tree.”

In the case against Hall, Dist. Atty. Mike Goodbee said everyone on the jury had been scared by hot-doggers flying past them.