A 21-year-old Colorado man was killed Tuesday after a skiing accident in which he attempted to jump over a three-lane highway near Berthoud Pass, the Grand County Sheriff’s office reported. Around 3:00 p.m. MDT, 911 services received a call reporting the incident along Highway 40 near mile marker 241.5, west of Berthoud Pass Summit. The call reported that a bystander had begun issuing CPR to the man, who was unconscious and not responsive.
Emergency services arrived on scene around 3:43 p.m. and confirmed the skier had died. The Grand County Coroner’s office later identified the man as Dallas LeBeau of Gilpin County, 9 News reported.
“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 reported. “The victim had been wearing a helmet and other protective gear.”
The area where LeBeau was skiing is a popular backcountry skiing spot and is a highly trafficked section of U.S. 40.
“We have thousands of people every weekend in the winter who are recreating up in the area and all across the county,” Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin told GearJunkie. “We’re all aware that the backcountry has its own inherent risk, regardless of the time of season. We just ask people to be careful and to watch out for themselves and each other.”
Schroetlkin said this is a very trying time for the family and friends of LeBeau and the community he grew up in.