Pro skier from Lake Tahoe killed in avalanche in Japan, family says

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (KGO) -- A professional skier from Lake Tahoe has died after getting caught in an avalanche in Japan, according to his family.

Kyle Smaine, 31, was in Japan over the weekend for a ski and snow sport marketing trip.

Smaine previously competed in the X games, and was a world champion halfpipe goal medalist in 2015.

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Pro skiers and friends have been reflecting on his legacy.

"Kyle loved everyone around them for who they were and he showed that to them through his demeanor and his smile and his kindness," his friend Becca Gardner said.

What's important, his friends say, is the standard he set for how to live.

"I want him to be remembered as somebody that people should look up to and somebody that should be an example of how to treat sports," Walter Woods said.

Weather authorities issued an avalanche warning for the area, after days of heavy snowfall.

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