Dutch skier, 25, dies after crash into snow cannon in Tirol
A 25-year-old Dutch skier from Rotterdam was killed after crashing into a snow cannon on a slope in Fiss, Tirol, Austrian police said, as Europe’s ski season has already seen more than 125 deaths, many linked to avalanches.
According to RTL, the fatal accident occurred Saturday afternoon on a red piste in the Austrian resort. According to Tirol police, the man was skiing down a steep section of the slope that narrows at the bottom and transitions into a gentle incline. Just before that flatter stretch, he overtook another skier and, for reasons that remain unclear, collided head-on with a snow cannon covered in protective material.
Witnesses on the slope immediately alerted emergency services and began first aid. The skier was left unconscious on the piste, and bystanders initiated resuscitation efforts.
Despite continued resuscitation attempts by ski patrol and an emergency doctor who arrived by rescue helicopter, the man died at the scene from his injuries.
Austrian media, citing police, reported the collision followed an overtaking maneuver on the slope.
The death comes amid a deadly ski season in Europe, where more than 125 people have died in ski areas so far. Authorities attribute the high toll largely to an increased number of avalanches, driven by a weak underlying snow layer combined with heavy snowfall this year.
