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US professional freestyle skier Kyle Smain was one of two men killed in an avalanche while skiing in Japan on Sunday.
Police told Reuters the two men who died were among five people who were caught in an avalanche while backcountry skiing on Mt. Hakuba Norikura in Nagano Prefecture, which hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics. The body was found by rescue workers during a search on Monday, The Japan Times reports. According to reports, the other three people in the party survived. After the heavy snowfall, authorities issued an avalanche warning for the area.
The US ski team confirmed Smain’s death in a statement on Instagram. The identity of his second man killed has not been reported or made public.
“Today we lost an amazing person, friend, skier and teammate in the mountains.” But more than that, he was a great human being and a friend, and we, along with many others, send our love and comfort to his family, friends and community.”
Smain’s father, William Smain, also confirmed his death to NBC News.
Hours before his death, Smain posted a video of his ski run, along with a message about his travels.
“This is why I return to Japan every winter,” writes Smain. “Incredible snow quality, unstoppable storms and really fun terrain that just keeps getting better. [sic] explore more. ”
The comments section of Smain’s post and the comments section announcing his death were flooded with tributes.
Smain was a resident of Lake Tahoe, California. He won the gold medal in the halfpipe at his 2015 FIS Freestyle his Ski and Snowboard World Championships in Austria.
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