At least 13 people died on Colorado ski slopes during the 2024-25 season, marking a slight decline from recent winters
The Colorado Sun’s annual survey of mountain coroners shows eight skiers and five snowboarders died following falls or medical events at Colorado ski areas in 2024-25, most of them on intermediate ski runs
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily
At least 13 people died after crashes or heart attacks on Colorado’s ski slopes in the 2024-25 season with at least 10 of the deaths occurring on intermediate or beginner runs. That is a decline from annual fatalities in recent seasons.
The Colorado Sun surveys 16 county coroners for deaths recorded at the state’s 27 operating ski areas. Of the three women and 10 men who died following an accident or medical event at Colorado ski areas in the 2024-25 season, eight were skiers and five were snowboarders, with ages ranging from 20 to 76. Five of the deaths were recorded days or even weeks after an accident at a ski area. Two skiers died from heart attacks, one suffocated in deep snow and 10 suffered trauma following a fall.
Colorado ski areas do not report deaths. Resort representatives issue brief statements and condolences when asked by reporters about fatal accidents. Resorts do not consider medical events — like heart attacks — a ski area fatality even if the death occurred on the slopes.
The National Ski Areas Association, a trade group representing 480 operating ski areas in the U.S., reports annual deaths at U.S. ski areas “resulting from sport-related trauma.” In the 2023-24 ski season, the association reported 35 deaths, which was below the 10-year average of 42 deaths. Of those 35 deaths, 28 were skiers and seven were snowboarders and a majority of them were riding intermediate slopes when they suffered fatal injuries. Only five of those 35 killed on U.S. slopes in the 2023-24 season were not wearing helmets.
The death rate per million skier visits reached a 10-year low of 0.58 in the 2023-24 season. Colorado’s death rate is significantly higher than the national average, with about one fatality for every million visits. Last year, when the state’s ski area reported 14 million skier visits, there were at least 15 deaths on Colorado ski slopes, close to double the national average in 2023-24. But again, those 15 deaths in Colorado in 2023-24 included six medical events that the industry does not consider when tallying fatalities.
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Colorado coroners reported at least 15 deaths in 2023-24 and at least 17 deaths at ski resorts in the 2022-23 ski season, more than in previous seasons but less than the historic high of 22 fatalities set in the low-snow season of 2011-12. Resorts also do not discuss or report nonfatal injuries at ski areas, even though resort community emergency rooms treat thousands of injured skiers and snowboarders every season.
Read more from Jason Blevins at ColoradoSun.com
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