N. Bellmore teen killed in skiing accident

A North Bellmore teen was killed Sunday when she skied into a tree at Windham Mountain in the Catskills, the New York State Police said.

Erin Clare Malloy-McArdle, 18, lost control while skiing the Upper Warpath trail at 10:30 a.m. and crashed into a tree about 30 feet off the trail, said Tim Woods, the president and general manager of the Windham Mountain Ski Resort.

The trail, marked with a Blue Square, was for intermediate skiers.

After Malloy-McArdle crashed into the deciduous hardwood tree, she was treated by the local ski patrol and a physician who happened to be skiing the mountain, Woods said.

The ski patrol placed her on a backboard and transported her on a sled 3,000 feet to the base of the mountain, where she was placed in an ambulance, Woods said.

Malloy-McArdle died later of "extensive head injuries" at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson, State Police said.

A state trooper told Newsday that Malloy-McArdle traveled with a friend to the Catskills and was staying with a family member who lives near the ski resort. Malloy-McArdle's family rushed to the Catskills after learning about the accident, the trooper said.

The family declined to comment late Sunday.

While State Police described Malloy-McArdle as a novice skier, Woods said it is unclear exactly how proficient she was.

The resort is conducting an investigation "concerning her ski ability type," he said.

Woods said skiers are responsible for determining whether they can handle more difficult slopes. "It's ultimately at the skier's discretion, but the cornerstone of the responsibility code is to ski within your ability," he said.

Woods said the accident has upset the staff at the ski resort, which he said had not had a fatality on the slopes in more than 15 years.

"We are shaken to our core," he said. "I can't imagine what her parents are going through right now. I have four kids, and I can't imagine what these parents are going through."

A novice skier, according to State Police, Malloy-McArdle was not wearing a helmet, which are not required for skiers in New York. The resort rents and sell helmets, Woods said.