American Freestyle Skier Died In Japan

Kyle Smaine Death has shocked the aerial skiing community as the freestyler died Sunday after becoming entangled in an avalanche in Japan. 

Kyle Smaine was a freestyle skier from the United States. He earned a gold medal in the halfpipe at the 2015 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships.

Smaine specializes in aerial skiing, which entails performing acrobatics in the air while skiing down a ramp.

Thanks to his extraordinary athleticism and natural talent, he has become recognized for his smooth, accurate landings and daring flips and twists.

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He immediately rose to prominence as a freestyle skier and has since competed in numerous primary contests, including the Winter X Games and the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships.

Kyle Smaine Death And Obituary: American Freestyle Skier Died In Japan

According to the Mountain Gazette, Kyle Smaine, a professional skier from South Lake Tahoe, died Sunday after becoming entangled in an avalanche in Japan. 

According to the Mountain Gazette, the 31-year-old was skiing while on a marketing tour for Ikon Pass and Nagano Tourism when the avalanche happened Sunday afternoon, Japan local time.

According to the Japan Times, the avalanche happened at 2:30 pm in backcountry terrain outside the Tsugaike Mountain Resort in the hamlet of Otari. 

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It happened along the boundary with Niigata Prefecture on the eastern slope of 2,469 meters Mt. Hakuba Norikura. Heavy snowfall has fallen on the region for many days.

Smaine, Mountain Gazette Senior Photographer Grant Gunderson, and Glacier, Washington-based pro skier Adam Ü were on the penultimate run of the day, according to Ü. 

According to the Mountain Gazette, they saw a group of Austrian skiers before Gunderson returned to the resort. When one Austrian joined Smaine and Ü at the bottom, they switched their backpack geet into an uphill mode. 

According to Ü, a second Austrian caused the slide, and the three at the bottom heard it shatter and fled. Ü was buried under around five feet of snow and had to be pulled out by rescuers. He was unharmed and was able to boot-pack out.

What Happened To Kyle Smaine? Avalanche And His Freind Explored

He told Mountain Gazette in an early Sunday morning phone conversation that the three skiers were on a free ski on Sunday afternoon, local Japan time. The identities of the Austrian skiers have yet to be revealed.

“It was the final run of our trip’s final day. We didn’t have any camera equipment with us. We were heading out for a good time, “He stated.

After the first run, Gunderson returned to the lodge. Ü and Smaine finished the second lap. On the top, Ü and Smaine stumbled into a group of Austrian skiers. 

Smaine and Ü reran their previous loop. According to Ü, the Austrian group chose to ski from a slightly different vantage position with a different exposure.

At the bottom, Smaine and Ü were converting their backcountry gear to uphill mode. 

The first of the Austrian group arrived. The second Austrian skier started the slide. “We saw it was coming,” Ü explained. “We could hear the snap. We realized it was significant. We started fleeing and were then struck.”

A neighboring guided group included at least two physicians. They arrived at the site and helped with the rescue attempts.

According to Ü, the gang was doing CPR on the Austrian skier when he died. They later reported that the other victim, Smaine, was unresponsive.