A 56-year-old skier from Florida died last week after crashing into a tree off a groomed trail at Wolf Creek Ski Area in southwestern Colorado.
Michael Black, a 12-year season pass holder at Wolf Creek who had a second home in nearby Pagosa Springs, was heading down the Summer Days run on March 21 when he fell.
“He went out early in the first hour that we were open and was on a groomed intermediate run,” said Davey Pitcher, chief executive officer of Wolf Creek. “No one witnessed this, but he said that he lost a ski which resulted in him losing control and he said he was tomahawking. Unfortunately, he said that he thought he broke his neck.”
Pitcher said Black, who was wearing a helmet, skied off the trail and into a tree during the crash.
Black was conscious and stabilized on the mountain, the resort says, telling first responders how he had fallen and admitting he was probably skiing too fast. He was taken to medical care in Pagosa Springs before being flown to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood.
“He never lost consciousness, but he had some severe injuries,” Pitcher said. “I think there were some bone fragments in his spinal column, broken ribs and a collapsed lung. But we were very hopeful.”
On March 22, however, Black suffered a lethal blood clot.
“He was able to talk to his wife prior to that happening and she was coming out from Florida,” Pitcher said. “He was removed from life support on March 25.”
