South Bay snowboarder dies at Heavenly

By Kathryn Reed

A 31-year-old Campbell snowboarder died at Heavenly Mountain Resort from what appears to be a medical condition and not an accident on the slopes.

Michael Aron Kvalheim had been riding with his wife when he collapsed on High Five, an intermediate run.

“He had taken a couple tumbles, but nothing significant,” El Dorado County sheriff’s Lt. Les Lovell told Lake Tahoe News.

Lovell said nothing indicates blunt force trauma played a role in the March 3 death. Results from the March 5 autopsy are pending, but Lovell expects a medical condition to surface as to why Kvalheim died.

Kvalheim was wearing a helmet.

Ski patrol was notified about 2:50pm Saturday that Kvalheim was unresponsive. He was taken down the tram to the first aid station at the base of the terminal. Heavenly officials said a doctor from Barton Memorial Hospital pronounced Kvalheim dead at the scene.

This is the third death this month involving people playing in the outdoors in and around Lake Tahoe. On March 2 a Minden man died in a snowmobiling induced avalanche. On March 1 an Olympic Valley backcountry skier died from injuries sustained in an avalanche.