A 25-year-old man from Rotterdam, Netherlands, died Saturday in a skiing accident in Fiss, Austria. The incident underscores the dangers present during winter sports season, even on well-maintained slopes.
According to police reports, the skier collided with a snow cannon on a red piste. Dutch news outlet NOS reported that the man was attempting to pass another skier when the accident occurred.
NU.nl stated the collision was head-on with a snow lance along the ski run.
Emergency responders were alerted by fellow skiers and provided immediate first aid, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. 112Vandaag detailed that the piste narrows and flattens out just before the location of the crash.
The death is one of more than 125 reported fatalities in European ski resorts this season, a number attributed in part to increased avalanche risk due to a weak snow base and heavy snowfall, NOS reported. Earlier this season, a 71-year-old Dutch man died in an avalanche in Austria and other Dutch nationals have been involved in fatal incidents while skiing off-piste in Austria, and Switzerland.
