19-Year-Old College Student Dies in Massachusetts Ski Accident: 'Devastating Loss'

Mar. 15, 2025

Jiminy Peak ski area Friday, Feb. 7, 2014.Photo:Lori Van Buren/getty

Lori Van Buren/getty

A 19-year-old college student died on Monday, Jan. 6, at the Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Berkshire County, Mass., the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office confirmed with PEOPLE.

Alex Kemp, a Williams College freshman, died after he suffered a fatal skiing accident, the Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office said.

The New Jersey native was skiing on the Cutter Trail, labeled the “most difficult” trail for expert skiers, per aJiminy Peak trail map. Jiminy Peak is in Hancock, Mass., 28 miles east of Albany, N.Y.

Around 2:39 p.m., Kemp reportedly went over an embankment on the Cutter Trail. “Jiminy Peak Ski Patrol were immediately dispatched to the scene," per the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office.

Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort on Monday, March 26, 2018 in Hancock, Mass.Lori Van Buren/getty

The Northern Berkshire EMS arrived shortly after and administered life-saving measures. Kemp was then taken to Berkshire Medical Center, where he was transferred and transported to Baystate Medical Center for additional care, but succumbed to his injuries.

Although he was wearing a helmet, he sustained “significant head trauma.” There is no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved, the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office said in their release.

The Berkshire State Police Detective Unit is investigating the situation, and the Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort is cooperating with the police department.

Kemp was a cross-country and men’s track and field distance runner at Williams College. The late student aspired to complete a doctorate in computer science, university president Maud Mandel said in astatementon Wednesday, Jan. 8.

“Alex was fearless and incredibly motivated as a runner, both in training and competition,” Cross Country coach Dusty Lopez said. “But even when he didn’t have his own best day, he took sincere joy and pride in seeing teammates do well.”

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Dukes Love, an economics professor, said Kemp was “one of the strongest students I’ve taught in 21 years at the college.”

“He had a quiet gift for the subject matter, while at the same time always leaving room for discussion,” Love continued. “He might have known the answer, but he wanted to leave room to talk about it.”

Kemp’s political science professor, James McAllister, remembered him as “a very thoughtful and totally professional student.”

“He was also dedicated,” McAllister said. “This diligence and care about his work made him stand out. What a devastating loss his death is to all of us.”

source: people.com