Chamonix, France – A 26-year-old British snowboarder working for the winter in the French ski resort of Chamonix has died of injuries sustained in an accident at Les Grand Montets last weekend.

Emily “Mimi” Watts, of Lavenham in Suffolk, U.K., said to have been an experienced snowboarder, was found unconscious and in cardiac arrest near the top of the Pierre a Ric run late on Saturday afternoon after being buried in a 27 inch deep snow drift for an estimated 45 minutes. She was kept on life support in a French hospital but died on Thursday, family members say.

Watts’ mishap was discovered by a British skier on last Saturday’s opening day of Les Grand Montets’ ski season. The man  saw a snowboard track leaving the groomed piste and descending a steep embankment, and he walked back up the hill to investigate and summoned assistance when he discovered Watts. Family members indicate that you couldn’t see Watts unless you were within six feet of her location.