Hunter, NY – New York State Police say that a 41-year-old snowmaker at Hunter Mountain slipped on ice and fell to his death among rocks and trees on Wednesday morning.

Brian Mattice, of Gilboa, N.Y., was working with equipment alongside the ski resort’s expert Milky Way trail just before opening on Wednesday when he slipped on ice and tumbled down a 200-foot embankment into rocks and trees bordering the run. He was attended to by members of Hunter Mountain ski patrol but died of his injuries sustained in the fall.

Mattice was wearing a helmet and crampons at the time of the incident.

An autopsy will be conducted at Albany Medical Center Hospital.