A Twin Cities woman finishing a run on an advanced ski slope in southeastern Minnesota hit a tree and died, authorities said Monday.
Novice skier dies on 'most difficult' slope after hitting tree in Wabasha
A Twin Cities woman finishing a run on an advanced ski slope in southeastern Minnesota hit a tree and died, authorities said Monday.
January 23, 2018 at 2:54AM
Nineteen-year-old Bethany Becker of Corcoran lost control on a turn at the slope's bottom at the Coffee Mill Ski Area in Wabasha late Saturday afternoon, police said.
Becker, a 2017 graduate of St. Michael-Albertville High School and a cross-country runner, was a novice downhill skier and was attempting a more challenging run on Fall Hill, according to police.
She was on the Fall Line, according to Police Chief Joseph Stark, which the ski area grades as one of its "most difficult" runs.
She died while emergency responders were taking her to a hospital, police said. KTTC-TV in Rochester reported that Becker was not wearing a helmet.
Records kept by the National Ski Areas Association show that 39 skiers and snowboarders died at U.S. ski areas during the 2015-16 season.
Paul Walsh
