An American freestyle skier died in an avalanche in Japan on Sunday, his family confirmed.
Lake Tahoe, California-based skier Kyle Smine traveled to Japan for the “unbelievable snow quality,” according to a recent post on his Instagram account.
“It brings me back to Japan every winter,” Smaine, who won a gold medal in the halfpipe at the 2015 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships, wrote as she shared a video of her skiing.
Smine was skiing in Nagano Prefecture, on Japan’s central Honshu island, when he died after being hit by an avalanche, his father, William Smine, confirmed to NBC News.
At least five men, all American and Austrian foreign nationals, were trapped in an avalanche on the eastern slopes of Mount Hakuba Norikura, a Nagano police spokesman said, according to Reuters.
Police earlier said five men were skiing in two separate groups on the mountain, which is about 8,100 feet high. Three skiers managed to climb the mountain themselves on Sunday after the avalanche, but Smaine and another skier, who has not been identified, were left behind. Both men were later found to have no vital symptoms, Reuters reported.
After days of heavy snowfall, weather officials issued an avalanche warning for the region. The warning comes as Japan faces widespread disruption from heavy snow and record-breaking temperatures, with officials also investigating whether severe weather was behind many of the deaths.
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said the embassy was “aware of the incident in Nagano Prefecture and is in contact with the relevant authorities to provide all appropriate assistance.”
“Due to privacy considerations, we are unable to comment further,” they said.
Smaine’s Instagram account was flooded with tributes from friends and fellow players.
“Such a bright light is gone,” wrote Canadian Olympic freestyle skier Marielle Thompson.
“We’ve had a lot of time to ski these past few years,” wrote Josh Christensen, an American freestyle skier from Park City, Utah. “Thank you for always being such a positive energy,” Christensen said.