‘Beloved’ 19-year-old dies in ski accident on black diamond trail, MA officials say
A 19-year-old college student died after being involved in a ski accident on a Massachusetts mountain, authorities said.
Alex Kemp of Lincroft, New Jersey, died Jan. 7 from injuries sustained in a ski accident at Jiminy Peak Ski Resort in Hancock, according to a statement from the Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office.
A witness called 911 shortly after 2:30 p.m. Jan. 6 to report that a skier had gone over an embankment while coming down the mountain’s Cutter trail and “appeared to have suffered significant head trauma,” authorities said.
Cutter is listed as a black diamond, or expert trail, on the Jiminy Peak website.
Ski patrol found Kemp and performed lifesaving measures before he was taken to Baystate Medical Center where he died the next day.
The District Attorney’s Office said Kemp, a first-year student at Williams College, was wearing a helmet, adding there was no indication that drugs or alcohol played a role in the accident.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss, and our entire Jiminy Peak family sends our thoughts and sympathies to his family during this very difficult time,” a Jiminy Peak spokesperson told McClatchy News.
The Berkshire State Police Detective Unit is investigating the accident, authorities said.
Hancock is about a 150-mile drive west from Boston.
Kemp remembered as fearless and gifted by faculty
Williams College President Maud Mandel confirmed Kemp’s death in Jan. 8 statement posted to the school’s website.
Williams College cross country coach Dusty Lopez, quoted in the statement, remembered Kemp as a “beloved” and “fearless” member of the cross-country team.
Dukes Love, professor of economics at Williams College called Kemp “one of the strongest students I’ve taught in 21 years at the college,” adding that Kemp had “a quiet gift for the subject matter.”
“Alex concluded a moving application essay by saying, ‘Everyone needs someone to root for them and to remind them to always root for themselves,’” Mandel said. “That was the spirit described by so many people who knew him.”
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 8:28 AM with the headline "‘Beloved’ 19-year-old dies in ski accident on black diamond trail, MA officials say."
