Kentucky man, member of UK alumni band dies after skiing accident in Colorado

A Louisville man died last week after a skiing accident in Colorado on Friday.

Thomas R. Rhodes, 65, fell into a tree well at Steamboat Ski Resort in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and was pronounced dead at a local hospital, Routt County Coroner Mitch Locke said. A tree well is an area of loose, deep snow around tree trunks, where branches prevent the snow from compacting. If someone falls into a tree well, it can be difficult to escape, and they risk suffocation or asphyxiation, according to the National Ski Areas Association.

Denver 7, a TV station in Denver, reported the resort’s patrol team responded to a call of a guest, later identified as Rhodes, in distress on the backside of Steamboat Ski Mountain on Friday morning. The patrol team transported Rhodes to an ambulance and he was taken to the hospital, the station reported.

Locke said Rhodes was in about four feet of snow. An autopsy was conducted Tuesday, but toxicology results are pending and the cause of death was not yet available, Locke said.

Rhodes was a University of Kentucky graduate and member of the UK Alumni Band. He played trumpet in the band, returning to play at games when the student band was away. Tracy Lovan, who organizes the alumni band, said Rhodes was part of the group for many years.

Lovan said the family has requested that members of the alumni band play “My Old Kentucky Home” and the UK fight song at his memorial next month.

“He was a really calm, mellow guy,” Lovan said. “He was a pretty laid back guy and very friendly.”

Reporter Karla Ward contributed to this story.