Zach Bolster

We’re still looking for the GoPro but from my report he clipped a large tree in the middle of an avalanche chute with his left wing tip. Likely came in to practice proximity in the chute and wasn’t canopy aware. A 6ft tree top was wrapped up with him in the wing and had a breaking diameter of 2.5 inches. Looked like just the two Outer most A/B lines hooked the thick tree top and pulled him into the terrain from about 60ft in the air (top of tree). Impacted the ground about 50ft below the tree base and rolled another 50ft to stop. No sign of consciousness post impact as wing lines were wrapped tightly around arms and neck and the wing was wrapped around good body pretty tight from chest down. According to His friend he’d been doing Barrel rolls recently so that could potentially be something he was doing. Otherwise that tree is directly behind a large mound/ridge and with those NW winds and gust factor there could have been some turbulence in the area. It was only good second time flying the site. To me it seems a case of intermediate syndrome. That size wing and being new to rolls gives one a bit of a confidence boost.

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