Jessie Mello, a 24-year-old Marine from Grand Junction, died earlier this month following a ski accident at Powderhorn. It was the first reported ski area death of the 2024-25 ski season.
Mello was skiing with her two brothers on an intermediate ski run at Powderhorn on Dec. 24. It was clear and sunny. It had been a bit since the resort had reported fresh snow. Mello, who grew up skiing at Powderhorn but had taken a break during high school and four years in the Marines, spent the morning warming up on beginner runs.
She was wearing a helmet. Her father, Eric Mello, said eyewitnesses reported she hit a patch of ice and slid into a tree. A Powderhorn spokesman said ski patrollers responded and called for an ambulance from Plateau Valley emergency services. As Mello was cared for they called for helicopter transport from CareFlight of the Rockies. She was transported to the first-aid room at the base of the ski area and flown to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction with a head injury and broken bones.
She died from her head injuries at the hospital Jan. 5, according to the Mesa County Coroner’s Office.
Eric Mello said “more than 50 Marines from all over the world” showed up for her Jan. 10 memorial service and shared stories about his daughter, “which has been a blessing.”
“Jessie lived more in 24 years than most dream to live in a lifetime,” reads her online obituary. “She traveled the world, was a multi-sport athlete, a black belt, a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, and an incredible daughter, sister, and friend to everyone she encountered. She was kind, loving and full of joy, but also tenacious and determined. She would put you in your place with a simple glance and build you up with a hug.”
Ski areas do not report fatalities in Colorado. At least 15 people died on Colorado ski slopes in the 2023-24 ski season, six of them after colliding with trees. Colorado coroners reported at least 17 deaths at ski resorts in the 2022-23 ski season, more than in previous seasons but fewer than the record of 22 fatalities in the low-snow season of 2011-12.