Bellingham man who died in Mount Baker backcountry was expert skier, local business owner
A Bellingham man who died while skiing in backcountry in Mount Baker earlier this month was a skilled and sponsored skier, and local stone mason.
John Wells, 43, died while backcountry skiing with two friends in the Mount Baker and Snoqualmie National Forest on Feb. 5. Wells had fallen head-first into deep snow, where he died from positional asphyxiation, according to his wife, Cassandra Wells.
Deep snow immersion is when a skier/snowboarder falls into deep snow, trapping them and making breathing difficult if not impossible.
Wells started skiing as a child and had a backcountry tourism certification from the College of the Rockies in Golden British Columbia. He was sponsored by several skiing companies, including Smith and G3, according to Cassandra.
The two friends skiing with Wells were able to pull him from the snow, and provided CPR for 45 minutes.
Wells owned his own business, Leading Edge Masonry LLC, which operates out of Sumas.
“He has been skiing since he was a kid, and it was his true passion in life,” Cassandra said. “He was well respected in the ski community and he will be missed by many.”
Wells produced the following skiing video in 2018. It was featured on the website of ski-gear retailer Flylow.
Editor’s note (Feb. 24): A previous version of this article misstated the role of Search and Rescue. A team was notified but never activated.
This story was originally published February 14, 2025 at 1:33 PM.
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