TOKYO (AP) — World champion halfpipe skier Kyle Smain has died after being caught in an avalanche within the mountains of central Japan over the weekend.

The US freeski workforce posted on social media concerning the demise of the 31-year-old American. Smain, who lives in Lake Tahoe, Calif., lately posted that he went on a ski journey within the hinterlands of Nagano Prefecture to benefit from the “unbelievable snow high quality.”

His spouse, Jenna Doramis, additionally posted on Instagram, writing, “Tonight in my goals I wish to experience a pow or a motorbike with you.

On the time Smain traveled, there was heavy snowfall within the space and authorities had issued an avalanche warning.

Photographer Grant Gunderson, who was on the journey, detailed the avalanche on social media, saying Smain was “thrown 50 meters within the blast and killed by being buried.” A skier was with Smain, certainly one of them useless and one other unhurt buried in almost 5 toes of snow. Gunderson didn’t give the opposite skier’s full identify.

Smain received the ski halfpipe world championship in 2015, the 12 months after ski halfpipe was added to the Olympics. His final main competitors was his Cup of the Worlds at his Mountain in Mammoth, California, which he received in January 2018.

Tributes to Smaine flooded his Instagram web page. In his personal Instagram submit, the U.S. Freeski Crew wrote, “Kyle Smain was a world champion freeskier, beloved to discover the mountains, was a fierce competitor, however may very well be a greater man.” I used to be a superb pal.