La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith has identified the out-of-bounds snowboarder who died Friday near Purgatory Resort as 40-year-old David Diaz of Durango.
Diaz died from injuries suffered after dropping off a cliff located in an out-of-bounds area of Purgatory Resort, located southeast of the Pinkerton Toll Road ski trail below Forest Service Road 578.
An autopsy conducted Tuesday revealed that Diaz suffered blunt-force trauma to the head and chest. Smith said the drop was about 25 feet and that responders on the scene indicated that Diaz made contact with a metal object near the alpine slide.
She said based on where the injuries were located that Diaz likely landed chest-first and died on impact.
Purgatory Ski Patrol was notified of the incident at 1:31 p.m. Friday, after receiving a report from 911 dispatchers, General Manager Dave Rathbun said in a statement emailed Sunday to The Durango Herald.
Ski patrol attempted lifesaving measures, but Diaz was pronounced dead on scene, according to the statement. Diaz was taken to Durango Urgent Care at Purgatory Resort. An emergency medical helicopter was called off because Diaz was pronounced dead on scene.
Purgatory officials said he was wearing a helmet.
The ski area declined to provide additional details, including more about the nature of the drop off and where exactly on the mountain the drop off was located.
La Plata County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Chris Burke confirmed Tuesday that Diaz was snowboarding at Purgatory Resort in an out-of-bounds area of the resort.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds for Diaz’s family. Those who want to donate can do so by visiting GoFundMe and searching for “Dave Diaz – Education Trust for Tucker and Milo.”
Diaz was well-loved by those who knew him, said his friend Christopher Leeper.
In an interview with The Durango Herald, Leeper said he was in “shock” about Diaz’s death.
Leeper said he met Diaz in about 2008 while playing recreational hockey at the Chapman Hill Ice Rink in Durango.
He said Diaz was a talented snowboarder and would often ride in the backcountry. He described Diaz’s snowboarding abilities to being “as close to professional as you could probably be.”
He owned his own tile company called David Diaz Tile and had previously worked as a bartender at the Diamond Belle Saloon as well as other downtown restaurants, Leeper said.
“He was truly one of the good ones,” Leeper said. “He was so genuine and was also probably the funniest person I've ever met in my life. I look at pictures of him now, and I hear him.”
Another friend, Missy Votel, a founder of The Durango Telegraph, knew Diaz for 18 years and played hockey, boated, biked and skied with him.
“He was an amazing athlete, a great father to his boys and a friend to so many,” Votel wrote Monday in an email to The Durango Herald. “His death is a horrific shock to the community, and we will dearly miss his humor, his calm, easygoing attitude, and all the good times. He was truly a classic character.”
A celebration of life will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Durango Elk’s Lodge.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
