CARRABASSETT VALLEY — A Husson University student was fatally injured Tuesday morning when he skied off Hayburner trail and into trees at the Sugarloaf Mountain resort.
Stephen Colvin, 21, of Hoosick, N.Y., was a sophomore linebacker on the football team last fall at Husson University in Bangor. He was at Sugarloaf on Tuesday with three friends, including two other members of the football team, Carrabassett Valley Police Chief Mark Lopez said.
Colvin was skiing with one member of his party at about 9:30 a.m. when he lost control, Lopez said. Colvin was not wearing a helmet.
Members of Sugarloaf Ski Patrol took him to the Sugarloaf First Aid Clinic where NorthStar paramedics were waiting, Lopez said. A LifeFlight helicopter was requested but was stopped after paramedics confirmed Colvin’s death.
“We’re tremendously saddened to learn of the loss of a skier at our mountain today,” John Diller, general manager at the resort, said in a statement. “Sugarloaf skiers and riders are a close-knit group, and a loss like this is felt throughout the community. I know I speak for the entire community when I say our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.”
Hayburner is a black diamond, “most difficult” trail in the central part of the mountain. Snow conditions Tuesday at Sugarloaf were described as “packed powder” and “loose granular,” according to a statement released by the ski area.
The Carrabassett Valley Police Department and Sugarloaf Ski Patrol are investigating the accident.
Colvin and the three other Husson students didn’t have classes on Tuesday morning and apparently skied at Sugarloaf most Tuesdays, said Frank Pergolizzi, director of athletics at Husson University.
Although Pergolizzi didn’t know Colvin personally, he said it was obvious around campus Tuesday that Colvin was held in high regard by the team and his coaches.
“The football team and all our students are saddened,” he said. “We want to express our sympathies to his family and friends.”
abryant@sunjournal.com
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- Stephen Colvin
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