A 27-year-old snowboarder died on Thursday after crashing headfirst into a creek well at Stevens Pass, according to the King County sheriff's office.
A person with the snowboarder and a bystander tried rescuing the man from the deep snow and called ski patrol around noon. Ski patrol members attempted lifesaving efforts on the slope and took him to an aid room, where a deputy responded and CPR continued.
The King County medical examiner's office identified the snowboarder as Marco Antonio Perez Canals and determined he died from suffocation.
As our Deputy investigated, he learned that the man was snowboarding at the Stevens Pass Ski Area and crashed headfirst into a snow-covered 'creek well,'" a spokesperson for the sheriff's office said in an email. "There is no indication that the death was anything other than accidental in nature.
Ellen Galbraith, vice president and general manager at Stevens Pass, said in a statement that the staff extends its condolences to the family.
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