A man was arrested in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, after an alarming incident on the slopes earlier this month. On January 4, a ski coach with the Steamboat Springs Winter Club reported being assaulted while coaching a group of young athletes.
According to the police, the trouble began when a skier became upset with the coach for standing too close to a terrain feature on the slopes. The skier, later identified as 21-year-old Kaiden Bodga, allegedly confronted the coach in anger. What started as a verbal dispute quickly escalated. Bodga reportedly followed the coach down the slope, grabbed him, and punched him in the head multiple times.
The incident didn’t go unnoticed. The coach managed to snap a photo of Bodga, and a student who witnessed the event recorded it on video. Despite this evidence, Bodga left the scene after the attack. The coach was left with potentially serious injuries, and authorities began a search for the suspect.
The Steamboat Springs Police Department turned to social media for help in identifying the skier. With tips from the community, they tracked Bodga down about a week later. He was arrested at an O’Reilly Auto Parts store on Central Park Drive in Steamboat Springs.
Bodga now faces serious charges, including second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and failing to remain at the scene of a skier-versus-skier crash. The community remains shaken by the incident, especially since it occurred during a training session meant to inspire young athletes.
