Calgary man dies while skiing at Whitefish Mountain Resort in Montana

A Calgary man died Friday while skiing at Whitefish Mountain Resort in Montana.

Charles "Chuck" Douglas James Herr, 56, was skiing with friends when they became separated and he was reported missing.

His body was found in a tree well by members of Whitefish Mountain Resort Ski Patrol about 3:15 p.m. near the top of the mountain.

• 'Tree wells' a deadly pitfall for skiers

"Any death at our resort is a tragedy and felt deeply by the entire Whitefish Mountain Resort community," resort officials said in a statement to CBC News.

"This accident is another unfortunate reminder that tree wells are an inherent risk of the sport. We encourage our guests to take extra caution when skiing in the trees and deep snow.

"Ski with a partner and keep them in sight. Call ski patrol immediately if someone is missing. Be as precise as you can in describing the trail name and location as well as the description of the missing person."

A tree well is thespace between the snow and base of a tree. Skiers and snowboarders can become stuck if they fall into it.

Also on Friday, a Canadian snowboarder was found by searchers in a helicopter around midnight after going out of bounds at Whitefish Resort earlier in the day.

There was no information available on where in Canada the snowboarder was from.

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