Man who died at 49 Degrees North was not on a ski run

The man who died after falling into a tree well at 49 Degrees North on Monday was not on an established ski run at the time of his accident.

Friends and family members on social media have identified the man who died as Nathan Redberg, who was snowboarding at the ski area near Chewelah. Eric Bakken, general manager of the ski area, said Redberg was about 100 feet north of the Dreamline run when he fell.

“It’s a fairly forested area,” Bakken said.

Stevens County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Andy Harbolt said Redberg was accompanied by his son, who went to get help.

The ski patrol responded within eight minutes and attempted CPR, Bakken said. They also tried using an external defibrillator, which was not effective, he said.

Bakken said the ski area has had people have heart attacks while skiing before, but he’s never heard of anyone dying by falling into a tree well in his 21 years there. A tree well is an area of no snow or loose snow around the base of a tree.

Redberg was an administrator at Prestige Healthcare and a 1992 graduate of Cascade Christian Academy in Wenatchee, according to his Facebook page. He was married with two young children.