Beloved Mammoth skier dies suddenly in California backcountry

Beloved skier and veteran worker of Mammoth Mountain Bernie Rosow suddenly died whereas backcountry snowboarding in the Sierra Nevada on Thursday, abandoning a spouse, son and a neighborhood of buddies who adored his limitless pleasure for snowboarding.

Rosow was climbing Bloody Mountain, an iconic peak close to the city of Mammoth Lakes, with buddies when he suddenly collapsed at round 9:30 am on Thursday, in response to famend skilled photographer Christian Pondella, who was with him on the time.

“Everything was normal, just a typical day. Just out of the blue he said, ‘My back hurts, it hurts between my shoulders,'” Pondella mentioned in a cellphone interview. Rosow then sat down on the slope and stopped responding to his buddies’ questions, Pondella mentioned.

“It happened so quick,” Pondella mentioned. “Two minutes before that he was having normal conversations.”

Pondella mentioned they referred to as search and rescue and a workforce arrived by helicopter however was not in a position to revive him. Amber Feld, Rosow’s associate, advised SFGATE in an e mail that the household continues to be ready on an post-mortem for affirmation on a explanation for loss of life however it seems to be a coronary heart well being incident.

“We are absolutely devastated,” Feld mentioned in an e mail. “Bernie was his eight-year-old son Alexander’s favorite person in the entire world.”

Rosow was born in Vermont however moved to Mammoth Mountain in the early 2000s, the place he made a reputation for himself for his inventive and highly effective snowboarding in each the park and backcountry. He advised Black Crows Skis in 2020 that he initially wished to be an expert skier however pivoted to working for the mountain as a snowcat operator when the skilled profession did not pan out. He mentioned that he lived in a tent in the woods of Mammoth Lakes when he first got here to city.

“I was sleeping in my tent in the woods looking for work. I knew I didn’t want to work in the day because I wanted to ski. And a friend of mine was like, ‘You should be a snowcat operator,'” Rosow mentioned in a video interview.

Emily van Greuning, a spokesperson for Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, mentioned Rosow had labored for the resort’s snowcat crew for over 25 years.

“He will be missed greatly by the Mammoth family and surrounding community,” van Greuning mentioned in an e mail. “His passion for the sport was aspirational, and his legacy will never be forgotten. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time.”

Rosow told skimag.com last year that the one powder day he had missed in 20 years was when his son was born. Pondella mentioned he was a dedicated associate and father who would at all times be taking his child on an journey, whether or not it was snowboarding or skateboarding or taking part in with radio-controlled vehicles.

“He loved his partner and he loved his kid,” Pondella mentioned. “When we were hanging out he would talk about them a lot.”

Rosow documented his adventures on his TikTok and instagram accounts, the place I’ve amassed over 100,000 followers. Pondella mentioned Rosow’s limitless vitality amazed everybody who knew him.

“A lot of us as friends couldn’t figure out how he just had the energy. He would ski all day and then work from 4 pm to midnight, come home, get to bed at whatever time, and then be the first one on the mountain the next day and do it all over again,” Pondella mentioned.

His devotion to the mountains turned him into among the finest skiers at Mammoth, and a broadly identified native who almost everybody wished to ski with.

“He was one of the most talented skiers I’ve ever skied with, and I’ve photographed the world’s best skiers over the last 25 years of my life,” Pondella mentioned.