CARRABASSETT VALLEY — A 24-year-old Sugarloaf employee from Farmington died Friday in an accident on the experts-only Skidder trail, according to a news release from Ethan Austin, director of marketing for the ski area.

The victim was identified as Alex Witt, a former Mount Blue High School student and athlete.

By late Friday afternoon, news of Witt’s death was spreading among the people who knew him well.

“This was a kid who just loved life and who knew how to have fun,” said Mark Cyr, who coached Witt in skiing and golf at Mount Blue. “He was always a great kid to be around. You could kid with him, but when it was time to get serious, he’d get serious. This is a tremendous loss, that’s for sure.”

Carrabassett Valley Police Department responded to the scene at 10:14 a.m., police said. Witt had been working as part of Sugarloaf’s Competition Center staff at the time of the accident, Austin wrote.

He was part of a crew preparing a mogul course for a competition, Austin said, when he lost his footing and slid down the course. 

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Members of the Sugarloaf Ski Patrol responded to the scene and took Witt to the Sugarloaf First Aid Clinic while performing CPR. Paramedics from NorthStar EMS ambulance continued CPR at the clinic, where Witt died.

A former Mount Blue Middle School teacher described Witt as a funny boy who was well-liked as a student.

“What an all-around great student,” Maureen Oswald said. “Loved life, ready for any challenge, very helpful to all, well-liked by his peer group, strong sense of family. An athlete, great sense of humor. This is a devastating loss to the community. His mom teaches at the middle school. I’m definitely hit by this.”

A Sugarloaf official called Witt’s death “a tremendous blow” to the resort and to the community. 

“Our staff is a close-knit family that cares deeply for one another, and our hearts are with our team member and his family today,” Karl Strand, Sugarloaf general manager, said in the release. “Safety is the first priority in everything we do at Sugarloaf and a loss like this is a tremendous blow to all of us.”

The Skidder Trail is a double-black-diamond or “Experts Only” trail in the central part of the mountain. Snow conditions at Sugarloaf on Friday were described as primarily “loose granular,” Austin wrote.

The employee was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Sugarloaf has notified the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which will investigate the accident. The Sugarloaf Ski Patrol is leading an internal investigation into the accident for Sugarloaf.

 Grief counseling resources have been made available to Sugarloaf employees.

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