An avalanche that occurred in Soelden, Austria tragically took the lives of two young athletes from the United States Ski team on Monday.
In a devastating incident that transpired at the Alpine resort, Ronnie Berlack and Bryce Astle succumbed to the injuries caused by the unanticipated slide in the area.
Berlack, 20, is from Burke Mountain in Vermont, while Astle, 19, is from Sandy, Utah. Both young athletes, who are recognized as development-level ski racers, were with four other racers when the avalanche struck. Their companions, who were also freeskiing at that time, managed to survive the incident.
"The U.S. Ski Team is mourning the loss of two promising development-level ski racers killed Monday in an avalanche in Soelden. The two were among a group of six athletes freeskiing at the Austrian resort. The other four skied out of the slide," disclosed Tiger Shaw in the official website of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.
Shaw, the CEO and president of the organization, also shared that both young athletes were "both outstanding ski racers who were passionate about their sport - both on the race course and skiing the mountain."
"Our hearts go out to the Berlack and Astle families, as well as to their extended sport family. Both of them loved what they did and conveyed that to those around them," he added.
According to the team's website, Berlack was a native of New Hampshire. Prior to his passing, Berlack was recognized as one of the strongest athletes in the team following his performance in the South American Cup competition in Chile, in the NorAm and FIS races in Canada last month. He was also a student at Vermont's Burke Mountain Academy.
"Ronnie has been a vital part of BMA since he was a young boy, from his father Steve's long involvement at Burke, skiing with us from when he was a J4, attending BMA through his post-graduate year, and remaining part of BMA until this tragic accident. Only last week Ronnie was here at BMA training with us," shared Kirk Dwyer, the headmaster of the Burke Mountain Academy.
"Ronnie was someone we all loved and deeply respected. He had a huge spirit. There is no one who better represents our core values than Ronnie," he added.
Meanwhile, Astle was trained by the Snowbird Ski Team. He was recognized as the top junior racer last March in the U.S. Alpine Championships in Squaw Valley. This season would have marked his initial foray with the development team. Similar to Berlack, Astle exhibited promising performances in the competitions held in Chile and Canada.
Following his selection for the development team, Astle created a page in the Rally Me website to acquire funding for his travels and the other expenses required to participate in the group's activities.
"Being given the opportunity to race across the globe this season could change my career. Maturing rapidly both mentally and physically, I am at a stage where I have the potential to make tremendous changes and achieve the lofty goals I've set," Astle shared in his page.
