Natalie Egleston was standing still before collision that took her life on Aspen Mountain

By Michael Roberts Wed., Feb. 6 2013 at 6:57 AM

Egleston.

Update: We've now got more information about the passing of Philadelphia's Natalie Egleston, who died Monday while skiing with friends on Aspen Mountain -- the third official skiing-related death at a Colorado resort this season.

Egleston was reportedly standing in place when she was struck by another woman skier in a collision that turned out to be lethal.

This information comes from the Aspen Daily News, whose article includes information from the Aspen Skiing Company, which owns Aspen Mountain; a representative of the business didn't return our calls yesterday. Spokesman Jeff Hanie tells the paper the accident took place at about 3:45 p.m. Monday about 100 yards or so from a spot known as Kleenex Corner.

Egleston's Facebook profile photo.

The circumstances? Pitkin County Coroner's Office rep Eric Hansen reveals that Egleston was standing in place, waiting for a friend, when she was struck by an unidentified woman from New York City who apparently didn't see her; there's some speculation that Egleston was in a shadowed area, and her dark clothing made her difficult to see.

The NYC skier suffered only minor injuries, and both she and Egleston were wearing helmets. An investigation is underway to determine if the surviving woman was skiing at an unsafe speed. But at this juncture, the incident looks like a terrible fluke -- the sort of crash that shouldn't have ended with someone losing her life, even though someone did. The cause of death is listed as a traumatic brain injury.

Egleston's LinkedIn profile lists her as the president of Indoor Direct LLC, a marketing company. She attended Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, and Cornell University. Yesterday, her brother Brian told us she recently returned to the Philadelphia area after living in San Francisco for a time.

The official statement from the Aspen Skiing Company reads in part: "The employees of Aspen Skiing Co. are truly saddened by this tragic outcome, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim's family and friends."

Continue for our previous coverage of Natalie Egleston's death on Aspen Mountain.

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jhollar

Okay, I'm having a hard time understanding this report. If you look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7jdiB7zXpg about 5:30 into the clip is Kleenex Corner. There's a sign clearly stating "slow". The timeframe appears to be about the same (in terms of lighting). How could Natalie not be seen? Especially, if the lady was going about the same speed as the person in the video clip?

I'm sorry, but we here in San Francisco are heart broken at losing Natalie. One of the ways of healing is asking a simple question. Like how did this happen?

michael.roberts moderator editortopcommenter

@jhollar You ask good questions, jhollar. We'll keep looking for answers. In the meantime, our condolences for your loss.

artistinaspen

This is very sad. Also sad is the fact that the Aspen Times refuses to cover this story:

SkiCo faces another NLRB complaint.
by Chad Abraham, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer.

A 20-year instructor with the Aspen Skiing Co. last month filed his second complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against the company in as many years.

James Cohen alleges that the company on Feb. 23 told employees that they did not receive their annual bonuses “because employees had filed charges with the NLRB in 2011.”.

The filing also says that on March 12, SkiCo officials told staff that “they could not make any false statement in public about the company or they would face termination” and that “any communication about terms and conditions of employment that offended or upset other employees was grounds for discipline.”.

But SkiCo’s attorney, Brian Mumaugh of Denver, said those accusations are inaccurate and called the complaint itself “much ado about nothing.”.

Cohen, who teaches at Buttermilk, was disciplined for treating co-workers in a “threatening and disrespectful” manner that was inconsistent with SkiCo culture, Mumaugh said.

He said Cohen received coaching after having “less-than-pleasant” conversations with fellow employees.

“You have to treat people with dignity and respect,” Mumaugh said, adding that Cohen claims he was discussing organizing a labor union for instructors as a way of distracting from “his own misconduct.”.

Cohen said Friday that labor discussions had nothing to do with his recent complaint, which was filed Sept. 10. He is a longtime “team leader” and member of a special committee known as a “pro council” that handles employee matters including wages and grievances.

He also said his supervisors only listened to the employees who complained about him.

“They talk about my tone but they’ve never tried to get my side of the story,” Cohen said. “They cite some instances where people’s feelings were hurt, but they never asked me my side. How is that fair?”.

In 2011, Cohen filed two charges with the NLRB against the SkiCo, one of which alleged that ski school managers Georgie Brimner and Katie Ertl told him he was in a probationary “corrective coaching” status that restricted, under threat of termination, who he could speak to about terms and conditions of employment.

The case was settled, and the SkiCo sent to employees a NLRB notice, signed by Jim Laing, the company’s vice president of human resources, about the instructor. It said the company was rescinding the “terms of James Cohen’s corrective coaching program that restrict who [he] may speak to about wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment, as contained within his April 12, 2010, correctional coaching document.”.

As for the present case, Cohen called it an internal matter and was reluctant to speak about it.

But he said SkiCo is characterizing his conduct as if he “was yelling at someone, and it’s just not the case.”.

Mumaugh said he is confident NLRB regional officials in Denver will resolve the matter in SkiCo’s favor.

Cohen’s complaint last month “kind of left us scratching our heads,” he said.

chad@aspendailynews.com
-----------------------> This is a time bomb waiting to happen for Aspen Skiing: the Skico is backed up against a wall without a weapon. LOL: A digital recording is involved. However, it follows the typical corporate pattern: 1. Malign the whistleblower. 2. Play dumb. Good luck Skico. Look for the story in the other local newspaper.

Juan_Leg topcommenter

1 Like

@artistinaspen

???

Juan_Leg topcommenter

I heard during a morning report both ladies were wearing helmets. It must have been solid head to head contact, for it to result in a death . If the survivor has a B.A.C. over the limit, what criminal charges, (if any) can be filed & pursued ?