Ming was a mother of five, ages 10 and under.
“She was full of kindness and service,” said friend Sharon Allen. “When I was at my lowest, she was there for me. She was always saying, ‘What can I do for you?’ and she did that for everybody.”
On February 25, Ming went skiing with three of her children and a group of friends at Purgatory Resort, about 25 miles north of Durango. According to friends, it was Ming’s third season skiing since she moved to Farmington a few years ago.
“She started skiing that first winter in 2014-15, and she immediately loved it,” said Adam Johnson. “She was athletic, and picked it up quickly. She was a good skier.”
Around 3:15 p.m., while Ming’s children were in ski school, she collided with a tree on the lower part of Demon Trail, an intermediate run that leads to the base area of Purgatory Resort.
According to authorities, Ming survived the initial impact, and a Flight for Life helicopter was called to transport her to a hospital. But she didn’t respond to treatment, and she was pronounced dead around 4:30 p.m.
According to La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith, Ming died from “multiple blunt force trauma to her body.” She was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
“It’s just so shocking, she was so young,” Allen said. “She had five little kids, and was so active and happy. Everyone just loved her so much.”
According to friends, Ming and her family moved to Farmington from Katy, Texas, outside Houston, about three years ago because of her husband, Cameron’s, job with ConocoPhillips.
Ming had attended Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah and went on to study English literature at Brigham Young University, according to her Facebook page. She then studied at the International School of Islamabad.
Most recently, aside from tending to her five children, Ming worked as an indoor cycling instructor at a local gym in Farmington.
The family launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $50,000 to help with funeral costs and the care of her children. As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, the campaign has raised $30,660.
“They mourn deeply and grieve her loss,” Johnson said. “But they are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love.”
The memorial service will be 11 a.m. Friday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4400 College Blvd., in Farmington.
Ming is the sixth person to die at a Colorado ski area this 2016-17 winter season:
On Dec. 19, a 48-year old Longmont man hit a tree and died at Breckenridge.On Dec. 29, a 40-year-old San Antonio woman fell from a ski lift at Granby Ranch and died.On Jan. 13, another death occurred at Breckenridge when a 47-year-old man from Denver was found a day after he went missing. He was alive but did not respond to medical treatment. It is believed he, too, hit a tree.On Feb. 10, a 26-year-old man from Mexico City died at Breckenridge when his head slammed into the snow. He was wearing a helmet at the time.And on Feb. 15, a 17-yea-old woman from Texas died after she crashed into a tree at Winter Park Resort. She was not wearing a helmet.The last person to die at Purgatory Resort from a ski accident was a 14-year-old Bayfield girl who hit a tree on the backside of the mountain in 2010. She was wearing a helmet.
“All of us at Purgatory Resort are deeply saddened by this rare and tragic accident, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the friends and family of the skier,” Colin McBeath, general manager of Purgatory Resort, told The Durango Herald on Saturday.
jromeo@durangoherald.com