On Sunday, January 29, two skiers were killed in an avalanche in Japan, and one of them was U.S. freestyle skier Kyle Smaine. The 31-year-old had shared an Instagram video of himself skiing on the day that the tragic accident happened.
“This is what brings me back to Japan each winter,” Kyle Smaine wrote. “Unbelievable snow quality, non-stop storms, and really fun terrain that seems to get better the more exploring you do.” Kyle, who won a gold medal in halfpipe at the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships that took place in 2015, was caught in an avalanche that happened in Nagano Prefecture, on Japan’s Honshu Island.
American Freestyle Skier, Kyle Smaine Dies After Being Caught In Japan Avalanche
His dad, William Smaine, shared the bad news with NBC News. According to Reuters the avalanche occurred at 2:30 p.m. local time at Mount Hakuba Norikura in the ski resort, as reported by Nagano police spokesperson.
Ü’s rescues told Mountain Gazette that he was buried for almost 25 minutes, but was able to walk down the mountain on his own. Rescue efforts were performed on the the duo but they were unresponsive. The late Smaine was the first alternate for Team USA in the 2018 Olympics.
