Colorado’s skiing community is mourning after a 21-year-old skier died this week while attempting an incredibly dangerous stunt: jumping over a major highway near the Berthoud Pass Summit.
The Grand County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release Wednesday that emergency responders were dispatched after a 911 call reporting a “skiing accident” that had left a young man “unconscious and not breathing.”
As first responders arrived, they “determined that the male subject was deceased,” police said.
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“The preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was attempting to perform a high-risk skiing stunt by trying to clear the width of Highway 40 and unfortunately lacked the necessary speed and distance and subsequently landed on the highway pavement,” the sheriff’s office said, noting that the man had been wearing a “helmet and other protective gear.”
While police have not yet disclosed the man’s identity, friends and family have publicly identified the man as Dallas LeBeau, who was well-known in the skiing community.
A GoFundMe set up on behalf of LeBeau’s mother describes him as “one of the most joyful and kind people you could ever meet. He was always raising good spirits and loved to ski ever since he was 2.”
The nonprofit Winter Park & Fraser Chamber, which offers resources to residents and tourists alike on skiing and other popular activities in Grand County, released a statement acknowledging the “great sorrow within our community” after LeBeau’s death and urged anything struggling with grief to reach out for help.
