A 13-year-old boy died Wednesday morning after crashing into a tree while snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor resort in Bend.
The boy, who was from Anacortes, Washington, was reported missing and later found by first responders. He was found unresponsive in a wooded area near the Sunrise chairlift, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.
DCSO officials said ski patrol immediately began lifesaving efforts and transported the boy to the resort’s medical facility, but he died from his injuries.
“This is a devastating loss for our community, a family and first responders,” Deschutes County Sheriff Kent van der Kamp said in a statement.
“Our hearts go out to the boy’s family, friends, first responders and everyone affected by this tragedy today. I am incredibly grateful to the ski patrol and emergency personnel who responded with urgency and compassion,” he added.
Investigators believe the boy struck a tree while snowboarding through a wooded area about 400 meters uphill from Sunrise Lodge. He was wearing a helmet at the time.
The sheriff’s office is not releasing the boy’s name. His official cause of death remains under investigation.