It would seem that backcountry skiers are frequent visitors to this region, since a sheriff has issued a warning that “and the backcountry has inherent risk.”
Dallas LeBeau, a skier who was 21 years old, passed away after trying what the police are referring to as a “high-risk stunt” across Highway 40 on Berthoud Pass in Colorado.
After receiving a complaint about a guy who was unconscious and not breathing, investigators from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office rushed to a skiing accident that occurred on the highway on Wednesday afternoon. An onlooker began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but the victim was declared passed at the site by the emergency personnel.
Later thereafter, the Grand County Coroner’s Office verified that LeBeau was the individual who had passed away.
“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,” according to the sheriffs, who pointed out that LeBeau was “wearing a helmet and other protective gear” at the time of the incident taking place.
The Sheriff’s Office also said that the roadway was affected in both directions of roadway 40 “while investigators processed the scene and maintained the privacy of the victim.” According to the statement, the highway was affected.
According to his boyhood buddy Devin Shirk, who has also established a GoFundMe campaign to gather money for LeBeau’s burial, the late skier “wanted to do things that nobody else had done” and was delighted to share a birthdate with Evel Knievel. KDVR reported that Shirk and Knievel were both born on the same day.
In addition, Shirk said that he inspired other individuals to begin skiing as well. “That was one of my favorite things about him too, is even if it wasn’t jumps, he would just be like, ‘You just gotta try skiing — it will change your life.'”
In an interview with CBS, Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin said that he was aware of the place’s popularity among backcountry skiers.
“The ski injuries, risky for the tubing that goes on up there, risky for the avalanches,” according to Schroetlin. “This is the backcountry of Colorado, and the backcountry is known for its inherent dangers. Yesterday was an example of one of those dangers.