Wesley Whalen, a New York man died in an accident at Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday. The resort officials confirmed that the Heavenly Ski Patrol responded to the incident on an expert trail near a roundabout, where they straight away provided care to Wesley Whalen of New York.

Who was Wesley Whalen?

Wesley Whalen, 46, was pronounced dead after a short time at the California Lodge Base Area and was transferred to the El Dorado County Coroner.

People knowing the victim and the incident said that he was snowboarding at the time but it has not been confirmed by the authorities yet. Whalen was a strong voice and translator for those in the deaf community. Whalen friends told about him that he helped people of that community with things like job applications. 

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The US Deaf Ski and Snowboard Association wrote on Thursday in a Facebook post about his demise. Many of his friends and those individuals he represented in the deaf community also posted about the same. 

Tom Fortune, COO of Heavenly, said in his statement, “Heavenly Mountain Resort, Heavenly Ski Patrol, and the entire Vail Resorts family extend our deepest sympathy and support to our guest’s family and friends.”

“There’s too many people up in Tahoe now. Now it’s like you can’t even snowboard anymore, it’s like you’re dodging people and it’s insane,” stated Whalen’s fellow snowboarder Lawrence Huinh.

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“We have to be aware of the new conditions and be prepared for the changing conditions,” said Antonio Carpo, a skier.

The circumstances behind Whalen’s death are unclear but it appears there are a number of trees in the area of the roundabout where this “serious incident” took place.

The coroner’s office says the cause of death is not known at this time but an autopsy was completed on Thursday.