Dallas LeBeau has been identified as the 21-year-old skier who died on April 9 on Colorado’s Highway 40 just west of the Berthoud Pass summit after attempting to clear the width of the highway on skis. According to the preliminary incident report from the Grand County Sheriff’s office, LeBeau lacked the necessary speed and distance to complete the jump and landed on the highway pavement.

　　At approximately 3 p.m. on April 9, the Grand County Communications Center received a 911 call reporting a skiing accident. A bystander initiated CPR. However, LeBeau, who was wearing a helmet and other protective gear, was unconscious and not breathing. Emergency responders and the Grand County Coroner’s Office arrived on scene and closed traffic on Highway 40 in both directions while investigators processed the scene.

　　According to the victim’s mother, Valerie LeBeau, who spoke with SKI via email, her son was skiing with friends at the time of the accident. Valerie said that Dallas had been preparing for this jump for over a month, checking the run and building the jump. He got sick, so the attempt was delayed by about 10 days. Even though the slope faced north, meaning it should have had good snow, she believes some of it melted, which may have slowed him down too much. Dallas didn’t have a great competition season, so he may have wanted to prove himself in skiing, said his mother, adding that he wanted to submit a video to GoPro for their Line of the Year contest. Dallas had experience with big jumps before and planned to do a double backflip in Jackson Hole’s Corbet’s Couloir. However, he had never tried to cross a road, only cat tracks.

　　Dallas grew up skiing in Colorado, primarily at Winter Park, Granby Ranch, and Steamboat. He began skiing with the Winter Park Competition Center at around 8 years old. At 11, he shifted his focus to park and pipe skiing. He competed in this discipline until he turned 18, when he transitioned to Big Mountain skiing and started competing in the Freeride World Qualifiers as an adult. He achieved a 4th-place finish in Aspen at the age of 18. This was his third year competing in FWQ. Dallas’s younger brother, Dusty LeBeau, 18, also competed in his first FWQ this season.

　　“Dallas first put on skis before he could walk in our driveway, and we would pull him up and down,” Valerie recalled. “Dallas loved skiing the entire mountain. He often went storm chasing to Wolf Creek for any big snowfall he could get to. He dreamed of making the FWT and traveling the world skiing and competing.”

　　Dallas worked as a Big Mountain coach at Winter Park this past winter and enjoyed getting paid to ski. During summers, he worked at a marina in Grand County and also did remodeling work on homes and condos. He was skilled in construction and car repairs, and was considering future options like attending a trade school or pursuing a pilot’s license. Dallas leaves behind his longtime girlfriend and ski partner, Sophia Morris.

　　Valerie said that the family has received many wonderful tribute messages about Dallas sharing how he touched many people. One of the skiers he coached told the family, “[Dallas] was an amazing person and by far my favorite coach. He taught me so much and has changed my life for the better in so many ways. Dallas helped me get over fears and drove me to be a better person. He is someone I aspire to be like. Words can’t describe what an impact your son has made not just on me but on my entire team in the short span of a season.”

　　Jumping road gaps is part of a storied ski tradition that brings with it significant risks. Many of these visually stunning jumps have been captured in vintage images and contemporary ski films. Iconic road gaps include Karl Fostvedt’s Idaho highway jump in the 2019 film “Return to Send’er,” the Mt. Baker Road Gap in Washington, and several throughout Utah.

　　Significant planning and safety precautions have historically gone into such feats, as well. Josh Daiek’s backflip over Lake Tahoe’s Highway 50 in 2020, featured in “7 Stages of Blank,” highlighted the dedication and planning required. When the footage was released, Daiek wrote about his thought process of executing the jump on his YouTube account. “I never really grasped the amount of work that goes into such a task, the amount of people I would rely on, the patience needed, the necessary weather to line up, the stress … To be honest, I obsessed over this gap for close to a decade, always keeping a close eye on the landing and awaiting proper conditions.”

　　In light of the tragic accident, Valerie shared her belief that no social media post or contest entry is worth risking one’s life. “If parents and friends try to tell you that something is a bad idea, you should listen,” she said. “I hope this tragedy might save someone else’s life by making them think before they do something.”