Tragedy Strikes U.S. Ski Team

Bryce Astle (l.) and Ronnie Berlack (r.)

Bryce Astle (l.) and Ronnie Berlack (r.)

Dan Cretella, Staff Writer

Two U.S. skiers were killed in a tragic avalanche at the American National Training Base in Soelden, Austria in early January.

The two skiers, Ronnie Berlack and Bryce Astle, were skiing recreationally after their training session was canceled that day.

According to DailyNews, Astle and Berlack “were not carrying avalanche beacons,” which made it much harder for rescuers to find them.

Astle and Berlack were accompanied by four other skiers that day, when they decided to leave the trail and ski down the other part of the mountain. The other four skiers managed to escape the slide, but Astle and Berlack unfortunately could not.

CNN reports that “the avalanche occurred at around 2,800 meters (about 9,200 feet) in elevation. There was a level-three avalanche risk in the area (out of five) for places above 2,200 meters (7,200 feet).”

Berlack and Astle were two skiers on a development team for the United States competitive ski team.

Coaches say that the two prospects showed real promise and had a lot of heart for their sport.

“It’s a shock for everybody,” Riml, a skier born in Austria, stated. “Two great boys, great athletes, good skiers. They were fun to have around. We are all in shock, still. It’s very tragic.”