BUTTE – A Philipsburg man is dead after hitting a tree while skiing at the Discovery Ski Area near Anaconda.
Resort owner Peter Pitcher told The Montana Standard that James Adie, who was in his early 20s, was making one of the first runs of the day on an intermediate slope on the area’s front side Tuesday when the accident occurred. The run is open but is lined with trees on either side.
Pitcher described Adie as an expert skier and a ski instructor, and said “it’s about a sad a day as we’ve ever had.” Adie was not teaching at the time of the crash.
Granite County Sheriff Stephen Immenschuh confirmed that a skier hit a tree sometime between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. The sheriff said the skier was wearing a helmet.
Details of the accident have not been released.