STEAMBOAT — The Arapahoe Basin ski instructor who was found dead at Steamboat Ski Area last week suffocated, Routt County Coroner Rob Ryg said Monday.
Ryg said autopsy results revealed that Grace Lynn McNeil died of suffocation after falling into a tree well — an area of quicksand-like loose snow that can form at the base of evergreen trees. McNeil, who was wearing a helmet, didn’t suffer a head injury nor did she suffer any bodily injuries, leading Ryg to think she lost control while skiing.
“It was just impossible for her to get out of the tree well,” Ryg said. “That’s typical of those types of accidents. When you go in head first, it’s really hard to get out.”
McNeil, 23, was skiing on Christmas Tree Bowl with several ski-instructor friends Jan. 5 when she was separated from her group.
McNeil was found at 8:07 a.m. Jan. 6. at the base of Chute 3, a double-black-diamond run.
McNeil, a children’s ski instructor at Arapahoe Basin, was originally from Cedar, Mich. She was a graduate of Western Michigan University.
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