Yakima, WA – A young female employee of White Pass ski area died on Saturday after suffocating in a tree well at the resort near Yakima.

KyOna Hoff of Yakima, who took a year away from her college studies to work at the resort, was skiing with friends when she fell head first into the tree well. After she was reported missing by her companions at about 3:30 p.m., resort workers found her lifeless body still in the tree well at around 6 p.m. Saturday evening.

A tree well is a deep depression in the snow created by the branches of conifer trees. They can be notoriously difficult to get out of.

“Words cannot express our sadness at the loss of a friend, a co-worker and most importantly a spectacular human being,” White Pass staffers wrote on the resort’s Facebook page. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Hoff family and with all who will be missing her.”

The Yakima County Coroner’s Office is conducting an autopsy this week to determine the exact cause of death.