Cold Spring Man Killed While Skiing in Vermont
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
A 27-year-old Cold Spring man was killed last week while skiing at a mountain resort in Vermont.
The body of Brooks Ralph was found just before midnight Feb. 20 in a section of steep wooded backcountry terrain outside of the boundaries of Stowe Mountain Resort above the Upper Perry Merrill Trail following a search by Stowe Mountain Rescue and area police, five hours after Ralph was reported missing.
“As skiers ourselves, we understand the draw to explore the backcountry and we’re devastated at the senseless loss of such a beautiful, adventurous young life,” Stowe Mountain Rescue posted on Facebook. “The only thing we can do here is to try to avoid this happening again.”
After Ralph’s body was found, he was taken to the Vermont Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an investigation into his cause of death. Stowe Mountain Rescue called the incident “a tragic skiing accident.”
“When you ski in the back country you’re facing an entirely different level of risk than resort skiing. There are multiple hazards, from unexpected cliff bands to hidden rocks, potential snow slides and deadly tree wells,” Stowe Mountain Rescue stated. “Honestly, there is little that can be done to mitigate these hazards, even for expert skiers.”
Ralph worked as an associate on the investment team at New York City-based Hunter Point Capital. Prior to that, he had also been an analyst at Barclays Capital, where he worked on capital-raising and advisory projects primarily focused on the “fintech, depository, and mortgage sectors,” according to Hunter Point Capital’s website.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Operations Research and Financial Engineering with honors from Columbia University in 2019 and also attended Upper Canada College in Toronto.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
