The ski community is mourning one of their own.
Former All-American skier Ellery “Ellie” Curtis died after sustaining a head injury, local authorities confirmed to E! News, at a Lake Tahoe, California, resort April 5. She was 26.
While skiing down the challenging “Ahhh Chute” trail on the Palisades’ KT-22 lift, per Powder Magazine, the Dartmouth College alum crashed and sustained multiple injuries in the process.
Though ski patrol responded to the scene within minutes, a spokesperson for the Placer County Sheriff’s Department later confirmed that the 26-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our hearts go out to her family and all who loved her,” Communications Manager Elise Soviar said in a statement, “as they navigate this unimaginable loss.”
Curtis is survived by her parents Charles Curtis and Katherine Dolan, as well as her sister.
During her time at Dartmouth, the Vermont native was the seventh-ranked women’s alpine skier in the East, earning a spot on the All-American Second Team in 2022 by placing eighth in the giant slalom at the NCAA Championships.
But even as a freshman, Curtis proved her skill and determination when she finished second for her first career podium during the team’s home Winter Carnival. The following year, she raced in five carnivals, finishing four races in the top seven with two podiums.
Indeed, a spokesperson for her alma mater paid tribute to the skier, describing her to Powder Magazine as "an exceptional member of the Dartmouth family whose spirit, compassion, and drive left a lasting impression on everyone she encountered.”
And the New Hampshire college’s women’s alpine ski coach John Dwyer echoed that sentiment.
“Ellie was amazing,” Dwyer told Valley News. “She was one of the hardest workers I’ve had in my 10 years at Dartmouth, and that’s off the snow also. She was a tremendous student.”
He went on to express that Curtis was “dedicated to being the best skier she could be” and demonstrated this by “pushing the limits of skiing.”
“She was fast and unrelenting,” he concluded, “and there was nothing that was going to get in her way.”