At least 17 people died at Colorado ski resorts in the 2022-23 ski season, an increase over previous years and above the seasonal average but still below the grim record of 22 fatalities set in the low-snow season of 2011-12. 

Colorado ski resorts do not report deaths or injuries. This year’s statewide count comes from requests made by The Colorado Sun to coroners in 16 Colorado counties with ski areas. 

There were at least nine skier and snowboarder deaths at Colorado ski areas in the 2021-22 ski season, down from at least 11 fatalities in the 2020-21 ski season. Ski areas across the country reported 57 fatal accidents in the 2021-22 ski season, up from 48 in the 2020-21 ski season.

There were also two teenagers killed while sledding in the closed Copper Mountain halfpipe after the resort was closed for the night. There were at least four deaths resulting from medical issues. Five people died after colliding with a tree. And at least two people died after falling into deep snow, like a tree well. And 16 of the season’s 17 deaths inside ski resort boundaries were men.

Read more from Jason Blevins at ColoradoSun.com.

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