attitudebth2
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I was on my facebook and found this when I went to his page... I thought everyone else who knew him would want to know. He will be indefinitely missed!
David A. McClelland, 36, of Kennedy Township died after he hit his head on rocks while skiing at the Champion resort, according to state police.
Members of the resort's ski patrol were unable to resuscitate McClelland, and he was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:56 p.m.
(Amity) said his older brother and only sibling was an avid skier.
"Every year, he would get a season pass at Seven Springs and ski and snowboard," he said on Tuesday.
His brother had always enjoyed skiing and had gotten more interested in the past few years.
"He would go as much as he could. A few weeks ago, he went to New York to ski," (Amity) said.
His brother had the day off on Monday from his job as a bartender at Eleven, a restaurant in Pittsburgh's Strip District, (Amity) said.
The job suited his personality.
"He liked to talk to people," (Amity) said.
McClelland, who was single and lived with his parents, enjoyed many outdoor sports.
"He liked to go rafting. He had gone skydiving and bungee jumping. He liked to do adventurous things," his brother said.
Witnesses told police McClelland was skiing around 6 p.m. when he went off a trail at a high rate of speed. He apparently lost control and skiied into a wooded, rocky area. He was knocked unconscious when he struck his head against the rocks, police said.
Resort spokeswoman Anna Weltz said McClelland drifted off Fawn Lane, which she termed a "gentle" trail, and was found in an "out-of-bounds, non-trail, non-skiing area."
"All of us at Seven Springs are deeply saddened by the fatal accident that occurred (Monday) night," she said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to this gentleman's family and friends during this incredibly difficult time."
Somerset County Coroner Wallace Miller said yesterday that McClelland died from blunt-force trauma to the head. Deaths resulting from skiing accidents at the resort are rare, he said.
His brother usually wore a helmet, Michael McClelland said. "He was safety-conscious."
Neighbors remembered McClelland as a nice person who loved the outdoors.
"I always saw him with his snow gear. It's very sad," neighbor Rebecca Smith told WPXI-TV. "It's just devastating."
The incident remains under investigation, police said.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by McDermott Funeral Home in Kennedy Township.