Authorities say that the death was an accident and did not involve a collision. The victim was identified Friday as Eric McConeghy.

Investigators said McConeghy fell face first into a snow well at the base of a tree. Ski Patrol members and friends of McConeghy tried to pull him out of the well, authorities said, but he suffocated.

CPR efforts went on for more than an hour before he was pronounced dead at the scene. A medical examiner said McConeghy suffered no broken bones or visible signs of trauma.

The Hood River Sheriff's Office said McConeghy made a small jump near the end a run and then fell head first into the deep powder snow in the tree well.

The death was the second near or at Mount Hood Meadows in less than a year. A 45-year-old Portland skier died from a skull fracture in January at Mount Hood Meadows.

Investigators think a snowboarder struck him from behind as he tried to get up from a fall.
   
(From KATU and AP reports)