Copper Mtn Teen Dies in Ski Crash

A Crested Butte teenager died Sunday after crashing on Copper Mountain while
warming up for a competition. Asher Crank, 17, was on skis and fell about
30 feet Saturday after going off a jump in the Copper Mountain terrain park,
according to Summit County Coroner Joanne Richardson. He landed on his head
and was wearing a helmet.

Crank was flown to St. Anthony Central Hospital, where he died Sunday.
Copper Mountain issued a statement that a teen died while participating in a
“sanctioned competition” on the mountain at the time of the accident. The
statement did not name the competition, although the Copper Series was
scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

Crank was a student at Crested Butte Academy – a prep school that attracts
competitive runners, skiers and snowboarders. Friends said Sunday that
Crank was a top-rated freeride skier, well-known in the small snow-riding
town for his personality and his skill. He was “one of the most well-liked
children in Crested Butte,” academy headmaster Graham Frey said. “In fact,
at the local pizza place, he has a pizza named after him.” Frey said Crank
was “one of the best in the country” at free ride skiing – in which skiers
launch off half-pipes and jumps.