Pagosa Springs, CO – A 70-year-old man struck a tree and died while skiing at Wolf Creek Ski Area in Colorado on Wednesday.

The victim, who has been identified by Mineral County Coroner Charles Downing as John Hammel of Pagosa Springs, was skiing with his wife on the novice rated Bunny Hop run at around 1:45 Wednesday afternoon when the incident occurred.

Efforts to resuscitate Hammel were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:12 p.m. Downing indicated that the cause of death was blunt force chest trauma.