From tragedy to advocacy: How a family is striving to make skiing safer after a deadly accident

Snow Angel Foundation/Courtesy photo
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to add a link to the Snow Angel Foundation’s website.
Chauncy and Kelli Johnson’s lives changed forever on Christmas Eve in 2010.
Avid skiers and snowboarders, the Johnsons wasted no time in igniting the same passion for the sport in their kids. They were used to going on family ski trips, full of lighthearted turns, but a trip to Hogadon Ski Area near Casper, Wyoming, ended in tragedy.
As Kelli was out on the mountain skiing with her 5-year-old daughter, Elise, a snowboarder riding at approximately 50 mph collided with the pair.
The force of the collision killed Elise and the snowboarder, while Kelli sustained life-altering injuries including a traumatic brain injury that she continues to live with to this day.
The loss of Elise was gutting to the family and the snowsports community. After overcoming her head injuries and a trauma-induced coma, Kelli was released from the hospital, allowing the Johnsons to begin turning their focus towards finding a new normal.
It was during this period that Chauncy felt emboldened to do something to increase ski and snowboard collision safety on the mountain.
Chauncy reached out to the National Ski Areas Association in 2016 to see if they would be interested in starting a safety campaign. The national organization jumped at the idea. In early 2017 the “Ride Another Day” safety campaign was launched across the country.
The campaign specifically featured a poster of a snow angel left in the snow with text reading, “She was 5. You were doing 50.” For the most part, the poster was received well at ski resorts and eventually led to requests for the Johnsons to visit staff at different ski areas to promote skier safety.
“As those requests increased, we sort of saw more of a need to amplify the message,” Chauncy Johnson said. “We then realized we needed an organization to do that. Prior to that, we would pretty much go to speak to a patrol team or a safety team, and they would help us out with a hotel room and lift tickets. I continued to feel inspired that we needed to do more in the industry.”
Wanting to spread their story to as many people as possible, the Johnsons attempted to launch the Snow Angel Foundation in early 2020, but they were halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the pandemic over, Chauncy walked away from his career to go all-in on the foundation. In February 2023, the organization was formally recognized as a 501(c)(3). Much like the safety campaign with the National Ski Areas Association, the Snow Angel Foundation strives to continue to work with mountain staff while also educating the general public visiting the ski resorts.

The Johnsons recognize that returning to the mountain after a scary collision is not an easy feat. In fact, Chauncy, who saw the aftermath of the collision firsthand, faced emotional and mental trauma for months after the accident.
“(Kelli) was unconscious from the time of the impact, so her experience was very different from mine,” Johnson said. “… For me, I was part of the aftermath. I didn’t see the collision occur, but I was there with first responders. I think it was a much more traumatic experience for me.”
While Kelli was nervous about returning to the mountain, it did not necessarily bring back trauma like it did for Chauncy. Eventually though, Chauncy was able to overcome his fear and memories of Christmas Eve in 2010.
“It was a year to the date,” Johnson said. “I went back to Utah where my wife and I went to college. I went and rode Beaver Mountain where I had a lot of good memories. It was difficult. I kind of lost it there as I was getting ready to get on the lift. I kind of sorted myself out, and the snow conditions were really fantastic, which really helped.”

According to Chauncy, the foundation has largely been met with the same reception as the “Ride Another Day” safety campaign.
“Overall it’s been very positive,” Johnson said. “We know that it is varied in the sense that there are ski resorts that embraced it early on and have continued to utilize it. There are several who haven’t as well. Obviously there are some nerves around talking about accidents on the hill. It kind of just depends on one area or ski resort to the next.”
From Saturday, Jan. 25, through Sunday, Jan. 26, the Snow Angel Foundation will be a part of Copper Mountain Resort’s Safetyfest. The foundation hopes to continue to spread its story and message throughout the weekend.
“Copper has actually been a really close partner in terms of staff training in years past since we kicked the campaign off,” Johnson said. “Really what we are trying to do — and hope to do — is interact with as many guests as we can. We like to give some short tips on how to avoid collisions, hand out stickers and have conversations — leave them with a positive message of our responsibility to ski and ride safely.”
Overall, the Johnsons are immensely grateful and proud that the Elise gets to continue to live on through the foundation.
“Gosh, we feel like her legacy really lives on in a positive way,” Johnson said. “When you are involved in an accident similar to ours, it so profoundly affects your life. We are so thankful that her legacy is being left in a really positive light.”
For more information, visit SnowAngelFoundation.org.

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