Former All-American College Skier, 26, Dies in Skiing Accident at Lake Tahoe Resort: ‘She Will Be Deeply Missed’

“She was one of the hardest workers I’ve had,” Curtis’ former coach at Dartmouth College said

Ellery “Ellie” Curtis, a former All-American skier at Dartmouth College, has died from injuries she sustained during a skiing crash on Saturday afternoon at a Lake Tahoe, Calif. ski resort.

Curtis was 26 years old.

The Waitsfield, Vermont native died from a head injury suffered during the crash on Saturday, April 5, PEOPLE confirmed with local authorities this week.

A spokesperson for the Placer County Sheriff’s Department said the former second-team NCAA All-American was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Our hearts go out to her family and all who loved her as they navigate this unimaginable loss,” Placer County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Elise Soviar said in a statement.

Curtis crashed while skiing down the “Ahhh Chute” trail on the Palisades’ KT-22 lift, according to Matt Lorelli of the skiing magazine Powder.

Curtis is survived by her parents Charles Curtis and Katherine Dolan, and her sister.

Powder reported that a spokesperson from Dartmouth remembered Curtis as “an exceptional member of the Dartmouth family whose spirit, compassion, and drive left a lasting impression on everyone she encountered.”

An alpine skier, Curtis placed eighth in the giant slalom competition at the NCAA Championships during her senior year in 2022. During her college career, Curtis also earned USCSCA National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team honors three times, according to the college.

“Ellie was amazing. She was one of the hardest workers I’ve had in my 10 years at Dartmouth, and that’s off the snow also,” Dartmouth women’s Alpine ski coach John Dwyer told Valley News. “She was a tremendous student.”

Dwyer said Curtis was known amongst her teammates as someone who was “dedicated to being the best skier she could be.”

“She was fast and unrelenting and there was nothing that was going to get in her way,” her former coach said.

After graduating from college, Curtis reportedly moved to San Francisco where she took a job as a regulatory analyst at the California Public Utilities Commission, according to local KUTV.

“Ellie was a valued member of the CPUC, and she will be deeply missed,” a spokesperson for the company told the outlet. “She came to the CPUC to protect the environment she cared about so deeply and was very excited about starting her career here. Our hearts go out to her family, friends, colleagues, and all who were touched by her kindness.”