Former half-pipe world champion skier Kyle Skyn died in heavy rain Japan His family confirmed it on Sunday.
In the year The 31-year-old, who won the Halfpipe World Cup in 2015, traveled from his home in Lake Tahoe, California to Japan on a business trip, as he explained on Instagram, “he was waiting for incredible snow quality”.
He was among Austrian and American skiers caught in heavy rain on Mount Hakuba Norikura in Nagano Prefecture on Sunday. The three eventually made it down the mountain, but Smain and another unidentified man were later found dead, according to local police. Japanese authorities have issued a flood warning for the area after heavy snowfall.
One of the American skiers who was buried for 25 minutes before being dug out by rescuers. Mountain Gazette said.” We heard a crack. We realized: ‘It’s big’. We started running and then we got hit.”
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said it was “aware of the incident in Nagano Prefecture and has contacted the appropriate authorities to provide appropriate assistance.”
Smein retired from international competition and his last high-profile appearance was in February 2018. Fellow athletes paid tribute to him on Sunday.
“We all did this for Kyle,” two-time Olympic half-pipe skiing champion David Wise said after his X Games victory. “It’s a bit of an emotional day for us. We have lost a friend.”
Maine’s wife, Jenna Dramatiz, wrote on Instagram: “I’m hoping to ride some pow or bikes with you tonight in my dreams.