'Passion for the outdoors': US university student killed while snowboarding at Perisher identified as new details reveal he was in Australia to work for snow season
The man, identified as Drew Youngquist, 22, died at the Perisher Ski Resort while snowboarding about 30 kilometres west of Jindabyne on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr Youngquist was seriously injured after he hit a padded pole.
NSW Police said emergency services were called to the scene at Perisher Valley about 2.30pm.
A NSW Ambulance spokesman said a Toll Ambulance helicopter and several ambulance crews attended, but despite the desperate efforts of ski rescue teams and paramedics, Youngquist could not be saved.
Mr Youngquist was an experienced skier and had only been in Australia for three months after travelling across the world to work as a guide, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Earlier in the year, he wrote on LinkedIn he was heading to Australia to work for a local Jindabyne-based outdoors company, Action Learning Initiatives.
The company's director Nathan Brown told The Daily Telegraph the accident had left Mr Youngquist's colleagues ''deeply saddened'', as they described him to be a 'young man full of energy and passion for the outdoors'.
'We are deeply saddened by the passing of Drew yesterday. He was a much-loved member of our team at ALI,' Mr Brown said.
'He was a warm and loving young man full of energy and passion for the outdoors.
'We will miss him, and our thoughts are with his family in Utah during this tragic time.'
'I grew up skiing from a young age at Snowbasin resort. After my dad taught me how to ski, I decided I wanted to snowboard and taught myself that,'Youngquist previously wrote online.
'I recently got into ski touring and got my avalanche rescue certifications. I even enjoy working on my skis and just finished my first season as a ski patroller."
A report on his death is due to be prepared for the coroner.
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