American professional skier Kyle Smaine dies in an avalanche in Japan
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American professional skier Kyle Smaine, 31, dies in an avalanche in Japan that friends say was caused by another skier who saw “the explosion throw him 50 meters into the air and bury him.”
- Professional skier Kyle Smaine reportedly died in an avalanche on Sunday the 29th
- Two men were found dead while three others survived the avalanche in Japan
- Authorities said another skier had caused an avalanche.
Professional skier Kyle Smaine was reportedly killed in an avalanche in Japan on Sunday.
Two men were found dead among five swept away by an avalanche on the eastern slopes of Mount Habuka Norikura in central Japan, outside the patrolled areas around the nearby ski resort at Otari Village.
Japanese authorities did not identify those killed in the accident, but skier Grant Gunderson wrote on Instagram: “Yesterday was my worst nightmare scenario,” Gunderson wrote in an Instagram post published Monday.
He said a skier had caused an avalanche, and Smaine “was thrown 50 meters by the gust of air and buried and dead.”
Professional skier Kyle Smaine (pictured) was reportedly killed in an avalanche in Japan last weekend
Two men were found dead among five swept away by an avalanche on the eastern slopes of Mount Habuka Norikura in central Japan.
Two men who were traveling with Smaine posted Instagram updates saying she had been killed in the avalanche.
The two missing were outside patrolled areas of a ski resort in the town of Otari, east of the slope, along with other skiers and snowboarders when the incident occurred on Sunday.
The others were able to return over the mountain, but two foreign nationals were still missing on Sunday night.
Search teams reported finding the two men in “cardiopulmonary arrest” on Monday, police officer Tomohiro Kushibiki told AFP, using a term commonly used in Japan before a doctor can confirm a death.
Editorial Use Only Mandatory Credit: Photo by Shutterstock (5600153c) Kyle Smaine at the Winter X Games Oslo Mens Ski Superpipe Elimination Winter X Games Oslo, Norway Image: Sandra A. Mailer 02/28/16 Winter X Games, Oslo, Norway – February 28, 2016
MAMMOTH, CA – JANUARY 19: Kyle Smaine competes in the final round of the 2018 FIS Freeski World Cup Men’s Ski Halfpipe during the Toyota US Grand Prix on January 19, 2018 in Mammoth, California. Smaine finished in first place. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Kushibiki said he could not confirm the identities of the two men found Monday or their nationalities.
But the Mountain Gazette said Smaine, 31, had been killed in an avalanche in Nagano on Sunday.
The outlet said he was with another professional skier, Adam U, and the publication’s lead photographer, Grant Gunderson.
“Yesterday was my worst nightmare scenario,” Gunderson wrote in an Instagram post published Monday.
He said a skier had caused an avalanche, and Smaine “was thrown 50 meters by the gust of air and buried and killed.”
KREISCHBERG, AUSTRIA – JANUARY 22: Kyle Smaine of USA celebrates after winning gold in the men’s ski halfpipe finals during the 2015 FIS World Ski & Snowboard Freestyle Championships on January 22, 2015 in Kreischberg, Austria (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Kyle Smaine of the USA celebrates on the podium after the Men’s Ski Halfpipe Final at the FIS World Ski Freestyle and Snowboard Championships in Kreischberg, Austria on January 22, 2015. Kyle Smaine of the USA won ahead of Joffrey Pollet-Villard from France and tannic Lerjen from Switzerland. AFP PHOTO / MICHAL CIZEK (Photo credit should read MICHAL CIZEK/AFP via Getty Images)
Last week, a cold snap covered much of Japan with heavy snow, including Nagano, which attracts many foreign tourists during the ski season.
There is currently an avalanche warning and a snow warning in place for the area.
Fans were quick to leave tributes to Smaine in a video he posted to Instagram on Sunday that shows him skiing off-piste.
‘This is what brings me back to Japan every winter. Amazing snow quality, non-stop storms and some really fun terrain that seems to get better as you explore,” she wrote in a comment accompanying the video.