An 18-year-old tragically died during a skiing accident at Mt. Rose in the Tahoe ski area on January 10. The man reportedly struck a tree, inflicting fatal injuries. According to officials, the incident happened on Ramsey’s Run trail, which is considered an intermediate path. First responders found the teen unresponsive at the scene.
A Care Flight team was quickly dispatched, but authorities reported that the man died at the scene. Police are still investigating the incident. Mt. Rose – Ski Tahoe management explained to Fox News Digital, “Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe management and staff extend their deepest sympathy and support to the family and friends of the skier.”
The statement continued, “The resort would like to acknowledge the assistance from the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District and Care Flight in the response effort.” The Washoe County coroner later identified the teen as Max Chavalithumrong, noting that police do not suspect foul play in the fatal accident on the ski trail.
Reportedly, Maax was a freshman engineering student at the University of Nevada Reno who previously graduated in 2023 from Washoe County School Districts Academy of Arts Careers and Technology high school in Reno.
One statement on social media honoring Max wrote, “The beloved Max Chavalithumrong, well known in the local hype fashion scene, and a talented former student at AACT, passed away after a skiing accident at Mount Rose on January 9th.” The Instagram post added, “The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office indicated the 18-year-old was pronounced dead in the first aid facility.”
The post continued, “The manner of death was an accident. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries due to skier-fixed object collision,” Operations Manager Justin Norton wrote to Our Town Reno in an email this morning. His sister Alissa Chavalithumrong wrote on a public Instagram post that “Max was a special kid who we loved very much.””
The post provided details on Chavalithumrong’s funeral service, adding, “A memorial service was held Saturday at Wat Buddhapradeep of Reno. Ceremonies are being held for him again tonight and Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Buddhist temple at 1100 12th St. in Sparks. There has been an outpouring of love for him on her Instagram post, with over 200 comments.”
One apparent friend of Max’s wrote, “We love you Max, I’m so glad I could share your final moments with you and know that you were so happy and truly yourself. He touched so many souls and was always so bright, he was a true friend and thought about everyone. Sending lots of love❤️”
Numerous other acquaintances of Max’s shared memorial posts for their late friend. On Facebook, one friend wrote, “Dear Max, you were taken from all of us too soon. You will be missed by so many people that absolutely adore you.” Another friend who claimed to have been skiing with the teen on Thursday shared to social media, “I do know that he did not suffer. He was being himself, and he was doing what he loved.”
Featured image credit: Robinseed, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ski_Famille_-_Family_Ski_Holidays.jpg
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