A former world champion freestyle US skier was “thrown 50 metres” into the air and killed by the force of an avalanche in Japan. American Kyle Smaine, 31, died alongside an unnamed Austrian skier after snow and ice engulfed the pair on the slopes of Hakuba Norikura mountain near the Tsugaike ski resort on Sunday.
It’s understood the South Lake Tahoe Professional was on a marketing trip to promote post-pandemic winter tourism when the avalanche hit.
Fellow professional skier Adam U was also on the trip but was rescued after he was trapped on the 2,469-metre-high mountain for 25 minutes.
Mr U told the Mountain Gazette: “We saw it coming, we heard the crack. We realised it [was] a big one. We started running and then we got hit.”
Mr U told the Mountain Gazette: “We saw it coming, we heard the crack. We realised it [was] a big one. We started running and then we got hit.”
Mr U explained him, Smaine and Mountain Gazette photographer Grant Gunderson were “going out for fun” between shoots on Sunday.
Gunderson returned to Tsugaike after their first run down the mountain, but the others met a group of Austrian skiers when they returned to the summit.
Kyle Smaine won the gold medal in the halfpipe event at the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships in 2015.
He was one of four Americans to win gold at that year’s championships, helping the United States top the medal table with 11 to their credit overall.
The former X Games competitor took to Instagram shortly before Sunday’s tragedy and wrote: “This is what brings me back to Japan each winter. Unbelievable snow quality, non-stop storms, and really fun terrain that seems to get better then (sic) more exploring you do.”
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Japanese police have so far declined to confirm any details about the two men killed in the avalanche. However, friends and family have since named Smaine.
Photographer Grant Gunderson, who had been with Smaine before the avalanche hit, posted on Instagram about the tragedy.
He wrote: “It was supposed to be the last day of the trip so we were just out for a mellow tour to freeski, as we had one of the best days ever skiing and shooting the day before.
“I was exhausted from the last 10 days so after that run I skied down to the base lodge. Kyle and Adam chose to go back up and ski it again.”
Mr Gunderson said a skier triggered an initial avalanche which quickly turned into something bigger.
He wrote: “Adam, Kyle and the other skier tried to run. Adam was buried 1.5m deep for 25 minutes and is unscathed. That is a miracle.
“The skier buried next to him died from internal injuries. Kyle was thrown 50m by the air blast and buried and killed. Adam and I will be rehashing this for the rest of our lives.”
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