Reno, NV – A 15-year-old Reno boy died Wednesday when he slid and collided with a tree at Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe after he removed his snowboard and helmet and began walking down the slope.nMaison Ortiz was airlifted with severe head injuries to Renown Regional Medical Center following the accident on the ski area’s Gold Run on the resort’s Slide Mountain side. He was later pronounced dead.

The boy’s uncle has told media outlets that Ortiz and a friend thought that the run was icy and that it would be safer to walk down the slope.

The Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death.