Family of boy awaits wrongful death trial

EAGLE» More than 2,330 days after the day Taft Conlin died in an inbounds avalanche on Vail Mountain, his family will have its day in court.

Conlin, who would have graduated from Vail Mountain School last year, was 13 on Jan. 22, 2012, when he died in an avalanche on Prima Cornice on the front side of Vail Mountain.

A wrongful death lawsuit brought by Conlin’s parents against Vail Resorts is scheduled to come to trial June 11 before District Court Judge Fred Gannett.

Local veterinarians Louise Ingalls and Steve Conlin and their attorney, Jim Heckbert, claim Vail Resorts was negligent when the ski company failed to close both gates to the Prima Cornice run — and keep skiers out of what they claim was a dangerous area.

Vail Resorts claims the run was closed and counters that Conlin was “negligent” and caused his own death.

“We have a very different view of the severity of the avalanche conditions,” said Hugh Gottschalk, one of Vail Resorts’ attorneys.

A jury will decide whether Vail Resorts was negligent, and if so, whether that negligence caused Conlin’s death.

“This is a terrible series of events that we are being asked to decide,” Judge Gannett said.

Gannett said he expects to call between 250 and 500 prospective jurors to seat the jury.

“I think we have smart and incisive jurors in Eagle County. They’ll fight tooth and nail to keep from sitting in that box, but once they are there, they become dedicated finders of fact,” Gannett said.

During the hearing on Monday, Ingalls sat at the table with Heckbert. Several of Ingalls’ friends were in the gallery as a show of support.

On Jan. 22, 2012, at about 1 p.m., Taft Conlin was on telemark skis when he and five other young skiers decided to take advantage of an overnight storm during a largely dismal snow year.

Three of those skiers sidestepped about 120 feet up the hill and to the south, a report said.

Those three were caught in a 300-foot-wide avalanche that slid 400 feet down the slope. Two dug themselves out and quickly skied to the bottom of Northwoods Express for help.

The avalanche carried Conlin through a spruce forest until he came to rest against a tree, upside down.