US champion skier Kyle Smaine dies in avalanche in Japan

American professional freestyle skier and former world champion Kyle Smaine died after getting caught in an avalanche in Japan Sunday, his newlywed wife has confirmed.

“Dear Husband and my whole world, officially married November 18, 2022, which not many people knew about,” Smaine’s wife, snowboarder Jenna Dramise, wrote on Facebook Monday. “I’m so incredibly thankful that I got to marry you and have you in my life. You loved skiing more then anyone I’ve ever met.”

The 31-year-old Lake Tahoe, California-based pro skier was one of five foreign nationals from the US and Austria who were swept in the avalanche while back-country skiing in the central prefecture of Nagano, Japan, around 2:30 p.m. local time Sunday.

Shortly before his death, Smaine shared a video on Instagram showing him skiing during a marketing trip to Japan.

He wrote in the accompanying caption: “this is what brings me back to Japan each winter. Unbelievable snow quality, non-stop storms, and really fun terrain that seems to get better then more exploring you do.”

The deadly avalanche took place on the eastern slope of Mount Hakuba, Nagano police said.

Smaine and four other men were skiing in two separate groups on the mountain, which is 8,100-foot high.

The other three skiers managed to climb down the mountain on their own after the avalanche, but Smaine and another man were discovered Monday with no vital signs.

Japanese weather authorities had issued an avalanche warning for the area, following heavy snowfall in the past few days.

Fellow pro skier Adam Ü, who was skiing with Smaine Sunday, told outdoor magazine Mountain Gazette that they had just finished a run when a third skier in their group trigged the avalanche.

“We saw it coming,” Ü told the outlet. “We heard the crack. We realized it is a big one. We started running and then we got hit.”

Ü was dug out from underneath nearly five feet of snow by rescuers, but Smaine and another skier, who has not been named but was said to be an Austrian national, were not as fortunate.

The outlet reported that Smaine was thrown more than 164 feet into the air and killed, while the other victim died from internal injuries.

During his 10-year career as a competitive skier, Smaine won a gold medal in the halfpipe at the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships in 2015. He retired from competition in 2018.

The US Freeski Team mourned Smaine’ death on Instagram, writing: “today we lost an incredible person, friend, skier and teammate to the mountains.”

Smaine is survived by his wife Jenna. She wrote that she first met her husband in 2010 when she picked him up while he was hitchhiking in New Zealand. She described their 13 years together as “the best damn years of my life.”

“I know you had the best runs in your life out there in Japan and could never blame you for doing what you loved,” the young widow added. “I do wish I could tell you that one secret I always had, that I loved you. It never really was a secret because I said it at least 10 times a day to you. I can’t wait to see you again.”

With Post wires