American Ski Guide from Utah Dies in Fall Near Osorno Volcano, Chile

Renowned American mountain guide Todd Passey, an internationally decorated IFMGA-certified guide based in Utah, has died following a fatal fall while skiing near Osorno Volcano in southern Chile’s Los Lagos region. According to initial reporting from Chilean news station T13 and radio network Cooperativa, the accident occurred at approximately 3:00 p.m. on Friday, August 21, 2026, as a guided group was descending near the summit area.

• Related: Massive Boulder Traps Mountaineer in Crevasse During Dramatic Rescue in Austria’s Stubai Alps

The excursion, operated by local outfit Pioneros, was composed of two guides and four client ascending along the volcano’s northern slope. As the party began its descent after successfully summiting, Passey suffered a fatal fall while descending a steep slope on skis in the La Picada sector of Osorno. In statements provided to local media by regional prosecutor María Paz Galindo, high-mountain rescue organization Socorro Andino confirmed that the four clients and the second guide involved in the tour were uninjured.

Volunteer search and rescue recovered Passey’s body around noon on Saturday, August 22. Socorro Andino detailed that rescue personnel extracted the guide from a high-altitude, difficult-to-access terrain zone with helicopter support, transferring his body to the Cascades sector for handover to Chile’s Forensic Medical Service.

Passey’s identity was subsequently confirmed to KUER News reporter Pamela McCall and announced by Wasatch Mountain Guides, where Passey served as a lead guide alongside his work with In The Company of Guides. An elite IFMGA/UIAGM and AMGA-certified mountain guide who grew up skiing moguls in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, Passey spent more than two decades building a world-renowned mountaineering career across all seven continents. His guiding resume included completed ascents of all Seven Summits, with 24 guided summits of Mount Vinson in Antarctica, 22 of Denali in Alaska, and two of Mount Everest, alongside pioneering first ski descents and new routes across Antarctic peaks.

In a statement released on behalf of his family by Winslow Passey through Wasatch Mountain Guides, relatives expressed profound heartbreak over his sudden passing while celebrating his legacy. “Our beloved Todd passed away Friday in Chile while skiing on a volcano. He slipped and fell,” the family shared. “We are devastated. We know we will be okay in time, but right now we are in a sea of sorrow, with quiet moments of peace knowing he is always with us. Todd touched so many lives, we have had many great adventures together and many of you have had adventures with him as well. Thank you for loving us.”

A public memorial gathering for family, friends, and community members will take place on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to dusk at Storm Mountain in Utah’s Big Cottonwood Canyon, with memorial talks scheduled for 6:30 p.m.