Wife of a ‘buried alive’ snowboarder in snow demands Tahoe Resort

At the end of February 2023, a Greater storm He threw several feet of fresh dust in the mountains of northern California, dream conditions for many experienced snowboarders such as Wesley Whamen.

Instead, it became the worst case.

Whatn, 46, suffocated until death under deep snow in Heavenly Mountain Resort in Tahoe on March 1, 2023.

His widow says that the complex is to blame.

In a recent demand, Chanel Whamen states that Heavenly caused extreme conditions to be even more dangerous and not warn visitors or increase security patrols, causing the death of her husband, that the complaint called an “unnecessary and preventable tragedy” .

A family photo of Wesley Whatn, who died when he suffocated under the snow at a Tahoe ski season.

(Chanel Whatn)

The law San Francisco ChronicleHe affirms that heavenly increased the risk of sinking into loose and deep snow when triggering an avalanche not long after the snowstorm. Demand alleges that snow “fly” to stimulate controlled avalanches, a Regular practice In ski stations: not only the amount of dust increased, but also hid the natural signs of a loose snow layer when creating the appearance of a solid snow upper layer.

“The combination of this freshly desired dust with the practically unknown levels of precipitation created a significant risk of cave risk,” the demand said. “Heavenly could not warn the guests they had criticized, which means that even skiers and skilled and experienced snowboarders would not be right to believe that the risk of sink was as high as really.”

The demand for unfair death states that the complex was negligent and requires unpalified damage.

Ashlee Lamber, spokesman for Vail Resorts, Inc.That he owns and operates heavenly, he refused to comment on the case, saying that the company does not comment on pending litigation.

The day he died, Whamen, who was described in the complaint as a “skilled and experienced snowboarder” and active in the deaf ski and the United States snowboard association. – He was going down a single black diamond path when he stopped to stop, according to the demand. The lawyer who represents Whatn detailed what happened after reviewing the images of a GoPro -style video camera that Whalen had about him.

“He began to slowly, but constantly sinking into the snow layer” with “snow collapse on him,” the demand said. “Wesley was buried alive.”

The demand called the snow that day “misleadingly” and also said that there was “insufficient coverage of the ski patrol.”

The complaint pointed out that some reports after his death indicated that Whatn fell into a “good“A dangerous fall in deep snow that is known to catch skiers and snowboarders. But the demand said that” there were no warnings about the dangers of the wells and the caves of the trees “and the complex should have installed temporary signs of fences and Warning, if such dangers were present.

The national ski areas. He warns that prepared paths increases the risk of having a snow accident or a deep tree well, which can be deadly. But the lawsuit states that where Whatn stopped was “good inside the open path,” and how he died is not part of the inherent risks associated with the snowboard.

“Being swallowed by snow as if it sinks in Movedizas sands is not intrinsic in the snowboard,” the demand said.

“Wes was a leader in the deaf community and his wife, Chanel, it was all his world,” said Mike Guasco, the lawyer who represents his wife, in a statement. “His death is an immeasurable loss, one that the community and Chanel still feel acutely. Worse, his death was completely preventable. ”