Second death in Canada during skiing this year, 17-year-old German dies after crash

Photo: Twitter/NAW_journey

A German teenager died in a Calgary hospital on Wednesday, one day after being seriously injured during a downhill training run in Lake Louise, Canada.

The death of 17-year-old ski racer Max Burkhart was confirmed by Alpine Canada which is the national governing body of Canadian skiing and the group that sanctioned the North American Cup (Nor-Am) race.

Burkhart is the second ski racer to die in the Canadian Rockies this winter, after French World Cup skier David Poisson lost his life during a training crash at nearby Nakiska ski resort three weeks ago.

"Alpine Canada and Alberta Alpine are devastated about this tragic loss of life and sends its deepest condolences to his family and teammates," Alpine Canada said in a news release. 

Burkhart lost control during his afternoon training run and slammed into the safety netting.

He was a member of the Skiclub Partenkirchen in Germany and attended the Sugar Bowl Academy in Tahoe, California.

"This is very tragic. No words. Thoughts are with his family. RIP Max," tweeted former Canadian World Cup team ski coach Max Gartner on Wednesday.