By Alex Tavlian, Fresno Bee

A 30-year-old man died at China Peak Ski Resort after falling head-first into deep snow on the slopes, resort officials said Sunday.

The man was snowboarding alone on one of the slopes when he fell head-first into deep snow and suffocated, China Peak owner and general manager Tim Cohee said. Another visitor to the resort saw the base of the man’s snowboard sticking out of the snow and pulled him out a few minutes after he fell in.

“It’s tragic,” Cohee said. “You have to be careful in this snowfall. That’s why we always tell people to go with a buddy.”

The death is the first of the year at China Peak, he said. A similar accident occurred at the resort last year, in which another snowboarder fell into deep snow head-first.

Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the accident, Fresno County Sheriff’s Lt. John Reynolds said. The Fresno County Coroner’s Office was also dispatched to the resort.