An Eldora Mountain Resort employee was killed Thursday morning when a tree fell on him.
The 52-year-old man was helping with trail maintenance when the tree fell, the Boulder County Sheriff’s office said. Ski patrollers provided medical care, including CPR, while they waited for a Flight for Life Colorado helicopter, but the man died on the scene.
On Friday, the man was identified by the Boulder County Coroner as Louis Miller. Miller was the ski area’s equipment and Snowcat manager. He was nominated as groomer of the year by Colorado Ski Country USA. His statement for the nomination described more than 25 years of experience and how he found achieving mastery of operating heavy machinery with skill and precision deeply satisfying and incredibly rewarding.
The resort has been closed to skiing since April 21.
An Eldora spokesman said the resort’s ground team is working with local authorities to investigate the accident.
“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred this morning resulting in the death of a cherished member of our team. We offer our deepest and most sincere condolences to the family of the deceased.”
He also anticipated a profound impact on the tightly knit team at the ski hill. “We encourage every member of our team to contact the human resources department to access our grief and mental wellness resources,” he wrote in an email. “We are immensely thankful to our local emergency responders for their quick response and the medical assistance provided.
The Colorado Sun annually surveys 16 county coroners across the state to compile a list of skier deaths at ski resorts. The on-mountain death Thursday is the 15th for the 2023-24 season.
Colorado coroners reported at least 17 deaths at ski resorts in the 2022-23 ski season, an increase over previous seasons but below the record of 22 fatalities in the low-snow season of 2011-12.