SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A professional skier has died at California's Squaw Valley while taking a run down a steep chute and smashing his head against a rock outcropping.
Jim Rogers, a member of the Lake Tahoe-area resort's ski patrol, said C.R. Johnson was skiing with a group of friends Wednesday when he fell while trying to negotiate a "very, very tight, rocky area."
He fell face first, then spun around and struck the back of his head on rocks. He was wearing a helmet at the time.
Ski patrol members were unable to revive the skier after they were called shortly before 2 p.m.
Rogers said Johnson was 25 or 26 years old. A statement from Squaw Valley described Johnson as a professional skier and member of its Freeride team.
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