New Castle skier, 40, dies after hitting tree

STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
CHAMPION, Pa. -- A New Castle skier died of head injuries after he fell and crashed into a tree at Seven Springs Mountain Resort.
Matthew Rose, 40, was hurt around 12:15 p.m. Wednesday on the Somerset County resort's "Avalanche" slope, which is for expert skiers. Rose was skiing with friends and wearing a helmet when he fell, authorities said.
Dick Barron, head of the Seven Springs ski patrol, said Rose went head-first into a tree that was just beyond the stopping point for that slope. He was wearing a heavy helmet, akin to one a motorcyclist would wear, but the plastic face guard cracked on impact, Barron said. They think he was traveling at a high rate of speed.
Rose died at 1:42 p.m. at Frick Community Hospital in Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland County, according to coroner's officials there.
Barron said Rose had recently bought a season pass to the resort and was a member of a Warren, Ohio, ski club.
"It was a beautiful day, but that often leads people to ski faster or try things they normally would not try," Barron said.
Seven Springs is about 45 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. This is the first fatality the resort has had in 30 years, Barron said.