Admin 2009-03-11 06:51:53
On Tuesday March 10th at around 10:40, 68-year-old Nakata Katsuhito of Tokyo hit a tree full-on while skiing off-piste in Hanazono (Grand-Hirafu). He neck was broken and he died shortly thereafter.
According to the Kutchan police, Mr. Nakata had come to Niseko with his wife and 3 friends for a ski holiday. While skiing at the front of the group, his chin directly impacted with a tree branch. It is said that the force of the impact lifted him off his feet and his skis were entangled upside down in the branches.