RIP Ryan Hawks

skiingpimp

skiingpimp

Active member
I didn't know him, but saw this on ESPN. Condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones. It is always terrible to loose fellow skiers.
http://sports.espn.go.com/action/freeskiing/news/story?id=6171437

Freeskier Ryan Hawks died Tuesday morning from injuries sustained in a crash at the North American Freeskiing Championships at Kirkwood, Calif., which ended Monday. He was 25 years old.Hawks, who is originally from Vermont but has been living in Utah, threw a backflip off a large cliff on Kirkwood's Cirque on Sunday at the Freeskiing World Tour and crashed upon landing. Ski patrol immediately tended to his injuries and he was taken by helicopter to Reno's Renown Health Center, where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.Dan Davis, spokesperson for Renown Health, confirmed Hawks' death Tuesday morning. According to Reno's Washoe County Medical Examiner, Hawks' cause of death is currently pending examination.Hawks was part of a hard-charging group of Vermont-born skiers called Green Mountain Freeride. On their website, Hawks wrote, "My father always said, 'A skier carries his own skis,' so I learned how to carry my batman skis by the age of two and have been skiing ever since ... I grew up on the slopes and was instilled with a deep passion and respect for my surroundings by those very same mountains. Three years ago, I hitched a ride west and have been here every winter since.""We'd all agree he was one of the happiest people we'd ever met," said Hawks' close friend Lars Chickering Ayers, also a member of Green Mountain Freeride and a competitor in the Freeskiing World Tour. "He brought that to the ski community. He was loved by everyone he met. He was always positive and that was his way of being."Hawks' passing marks the third death to a competitor in a big-mountain freeskiing contest in the last few years. In 2008, 27-year-old Aspen local John Nicoletta died from injuries sustained while competing in the Freeskiing World Tour Championships at Alyeska, and in 2007, Swiss skier Neal Valiton passed away after a crash at an International Freeskiers Association competition in Tignes, France.
 
Props to the guy, his friends, and family. Skiings a dangerous sport and it takes good people. Sad story.
 
Ryan was one of the greatest skiers and most positive human beings I've ever known. RIP buddy, we're gonna miss you!
and for the record, he did a backflip off a 40/50 foot cliff in his run at the FWT at Kirkwood over the weekend, and pretty much put it to his feet but kinda blew up. I'm not certain of the details that followed, but positive vibes to the Hawks family and all his friends.
 
i met ryan hawks last year working for the fwt. ryan was such a pure skier through and through especially with his entire green mountain freeride crew. even growing up in vt id always hear the stories of ryan hawks did this, ryan hawks did that etc...my heart goes out to his family and everyone else who were ever graced to meet him on the ski hill. i hope the tour pays him a proper tribute for his mainstay character that he provided in that scene.RIP ryan.
 
this is very sad. I met Ryan briefly earlier this winter here at Red while he was here for our comp. He was very nice and seamed genuinely stoked on life. I watched his crash on the live stream and had hoped for the best... seeing the thread title sunk my heart.

RIP Ryan.
 
Only heard the best about this kid. Heard he was a great kid and a great skier. Thoughts to his friends and family.
 
here it is on yahoo:
Pro freeskier Ryan Hawks died early Tuesday of injuries suffered during an extreme competition in Northern California. He was 25 and a rising star in the sometimes dangerous sport of big-mountain freeskiing.

Hawks, a Utah resident originally from Vermont, had had been attempting a 40-foot backflip Sunday during the North American Freeskiing Championships atKirkwood Ski Resort near Lake Tahoe. He fell hard after landing and was airlifted to Reno's Renown Health Center, where he was being treated for internal injuries.

An official cause of death is pending an investigation, according to Reno's Washoe County Medical Examiner.

Dan Abrams, president of FlyLow Gear, which sponsored the athlete, told Outside magazine: "The comp was in full swing. All of the heavy hitters were skiing, but a lot of the guys were falling. There was an opportunity for Ryan to go all out get on the podium. He has a history of back flips and basically going for it in comps."

Hawks belonged to a group of Vermont-born athletes known as Green Mountain Freeride. Lars Chickering Ayers, a fellow team member and competitor at the championships, told ESPN's Megan Michelson, "We'd all agree he was one of the happiest people we'd ever met. He brought that to the ski community. He was loved by everyone he met. He was always positive and that was his way of being."

Renowned Colorado freeskier Chris Davenport, when asked by GrindTv for a statement about Hawks, replied: "I only met him once, last August in Portillo, Chile. It would be kind of irresponsible of me to speak as if I knew him real well, but he did send a very impressive air, twice, in Portillo, so it was obvious to me he had a knack for skiing cool lines and stomping landings.

"But most of all I remember him as a humble, respectful, and excited kid who was so psyched he was getting to ski in Chile with friends, and even though the conditions [weren't ideal] he was having the time of his life."

Among the many supportive comments on the Newschoolers website forum is this one from T-Hobbs: "Hawks was an AMAZING guy and skier. He always put a smile on your face. I can't believe he's gone. Truly an inspirational person and skier. Such a loss to the ski world. Ryan, we'll miss you so much. Shred those clouds for us."

ESPN reports that Hawks' death is the third involving a competitive big-mountain freeskier in four years. It cited the 2008 death of John Nicoletta at the Freeskiing World Tour Championships at Alyeska in Alaska; and the 2007 death of Neil Valiton at an International Freeskiers Assn. event at Tignes, France.
 
Hawks was an amazing guy. He crushed it at skiing and absolutely loved every day. Still can't believe it. It seems so unreal. Such a huge loss to the ski world. Ryan, miss you so much already
 
RIP

I was there when the accident happend. Kirkwood. It was an event that just you can't describe. Like he was charging and doing so well then all of a sudden...he was gone. It was so quick.
 
Wish I could have made more ski memories with Yah Hawks. I'll always remember Drinkin beers, and chowin down on meatloaf with you. Ski Easy my friend.
 
Here's a contribution from Sugarbush.

http://www.sugarbush.com/content/resort-news.asp?pid=25&id=1381

NEWS

Sugarbush Resort Remembers Freestyle Skier Ryan Hawks

Warren, VT (March 2, 2011)-- The Sugarbush Resort community is saddened to learn of the death of freestyle skier Ryan Hawks. Hawks skied with Sugarbush's Diamond Dogs Freestyle Team for four years during his high school years. Kevin Wry, Diamond Dogs Team founder, remembers Ryan fondly. "We called him 'Ryan Red', because there were several Ryans in the program, and he was the one who always wore the red jacket. Ryan was the guy who showed up early to take runs before the program started, and skied until the lifts closed. He had an incredible enthusiasm for the sport. He'll be sorely missed."Hawks's father, Peter Hawks, is an outback guide for Sugarbush. The Sugarbush community extends its deepest sympathies to the Hawks family. This Saturday's Castlerock Extreme Bump Competition will be dedicated to Hawks.

 
Ryan was my freestyle coach at mad river about 4 years ago before he started competing in the fwt and i had the privilege of skiing with him again just about a month ago, he was one of the friendliest people ever and such a great skier and coach, RIP Hawks
here are some videos of when he was back here at mrg judging the ski the east freeride tour stop 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5q0rMjaG_Uk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=peBC7ioGwFg

some one should embed
 
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