Champion U.S. Freestyle Skier Kyle Smaine Dies in Avalanche

Champion U.S. Freestyle Skier , Kyle Smaine , Dies in Avalanche.
'The Independent' reports that United States
champion freestyle skier Kyle Smaine
has died in an avalanche in Japan.
'The Independent' reports that United States
champion freestyle skier Kyle Smaine
has died in an avalanche in Japan.
Previously, Smaine had written on Instagram that
he had traveled to Japan to take advantage
of "unbelievable snow quality.".
This is what brings me
back to Japan each winter, Kyle Smaine, via Instagram.
Smaine had added that Japan had , “really fun terrain that seems to get
better [the] more exploring you do”.
In 2015, Smaine won gold in the halfpipe
at the FIS Freestyle Ski and
Snowboarding World Championships.
In 2015, Smaine won gold in the halfpipe
at the FIS Freestyle Ski and
Snowboarding World Championships.
On January 29, Smaine was in
Nagano Prefecture on Honshu Island
when the avalanche occurred.
According to Nagano police, as many as five people from the U.S. and Austria were caught in the avalanche, which occurred on the eastern side of Mount Hakuba Norikura.
Authorities said that of the five men skiing on the mountain,
three were able to climb down on their own, while
Smaine and another unnamed skier were not. .
Authorities said that of the five men skiing on the mountain,
three were able to climb down on their own, while
Smaine and another unnamed skier were not. .
Reuters reported that both men
were found without vital signs.
Weather officials had issued an avalanche
warning following days of heavy snowfall
and record-breaking low temperatures