A 14-year-old boy from the Czech Republic has died after veering off a beginner's slope at the Feuerkogel ski resort in Upper Austria. The incident occurred on Monday morning, marking the second fatal accident at an Austrian ski resort in two days.
According to local media, the teenager fell approximately seven metres through scree and trees, shattering his helmet on rocks. Bernhard Magritzer, head of the Gmunden Alpine Police, told Kronen Zeitung that the lack of snow beside the slopes meant there was no cushion for such a serious fall.
A cable car employee who was passing by discovered the boy and alerted authorities. First responders attempted resuscitation for an hour before the teenager was pronounced dead. Magritzer warned skiers to exercise extreme caution due to hard slopes and the absence of snow along boundaries, which can lead to underestimated speeds.
The boy was skiing with a small group, including his father, on a relatively flat area at the time of the accident. The resort and Austrian police have been approached for comment.
This tragedy follows a fatal collision on Saturday, when a 49-year-old Austrian man died after being hit by a 14-year-old Irish skier on the Schmittenhöhe mountain in Zell am See. The Irish teenager has been interviewed by police after allegedly leaving the scene.
