Whitefish, MT – A 16-year-old boy is in Kalispell Regional Medical Center in critical condition after being found Wednesday unconscious in a tree well at Whitefish Mountain Resort.nTwo skiers saw a pair of skis sticking out of the snow near the T-bar 2 lift line near the summit of the mountain on Wednesday morning and dug out the unidentified victim. A licensed nurse who was passing by began to administer CPR, and a ski patroller responded with a defibrillator. A faint pulse was detected at the resort’s patrol room and the boy was transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.

Heavy snow and strong winds were occurring at the time of the incident. The victim is reportedly a Whitefish season passholder and is an exchange student from Germany living with a family in nearby Columbia Falls. It is unknown if he was skiing alone at the time or how long he had been stuck in the tree well.