Snowboarder Dies After Hitting Protective Mat Round Snow Cannon

4th January 2024

The accident happened on Tuesday morning when the male snowboarder collided at speed with a snow gun to the side of the marked run No 52.

Eye-witnesses came to his assistance and alerted the piste patrol.

They provided first aid at the scene and he was taken to Grisons hospital where he was pronounced dead.

His name and nationality have not been released as next-of-kin are informed.

The Graubünden cantonal police have released an image of the accident site.

Image c/o Graubünden cantonal police

The public prosecutor’s office and the cantonal police of Graubünden are investigating the exact circumstances surrounding the accident.

One regular PlanetSKI reader, David Letts, has made an observation on the PlanetSKI Facebook page:

“Without the full facts, I do not want to speculate,” said David.

“It is tragic and accidents do happen.

“The mats are there to prevent injury, but if you’re over a certain speed, or at an awkward angle, even these measures may not prevent this.

“Interestingly, I was an instructor at a dry slope and I noticed that the red cushioned mats had been removed from the Poma lifts.

“I asked the management why they’d done this and their reply was that their insurance company had requested the removal, as having the pylons wrapped was an admission that the pylons presented a danger to skiers and boarders.

“Should anyone be injured in a collision with the pylons, they could sue, citing that the padding proved we knew it was a danger.”

Here at PlanetSKI we will bring you more information as it is released.