A 44-year-old man from Georgia has died following a skiing incident at Whiteface Mountain on Wednesday afternoon.
New York State Police say troopers responded around 1 p.m. to Route 86 in the town of Wilmington for a reported incident on the mountain.
Investigators determined that Michael Vacek Jr., of Atlanta, had been reported missing earlier in the day by the group of friends he was skiing with. Friends alerted Whiteface Mountain Ski Patrol at about 10 a.m. after Vacek did not return while skiing the trails.
Ski Patrol launched a search and located Vacek in the tree line along the Upper and Lower Skyward Trail. He was taken to the mountain’s medical building, where ski patrol and local fire and rescue crews continued life-saving efforts. Authorities say those efforts were unsuccessful, and Vacek was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Essex County Coroner responded and ordered the body transported to Glens Falls Hospital. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.
State Police say the investigation remains ongoing.
