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