Rising Extreme Skier Dies in Utah Cliff Jump
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An extreme skier being filmed Tuesday in the backcountry of Big Cottonwood Canyon jumped a cliff, landed in a rocky area and died from his injuries.
Billy Poole was flown to University of Utah Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:30 p.m. MST, spokeswoman Vickie King said.
Poole, 28, was sponsored by Salt Lake City-based Black Diamond Equipment Ltd., maker of ski and climbing gear. Chief Executive Peter Metcalf described him as a rising star among big-mountain skiers.
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"His stature was increasing. He was inspiring, outgoing, friendly — the perfect ambassador for a company like Black Diamond," Metcalf said. "He lived the life of big mountain skier on just enough money to support his habit.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"In this sport," the executive said, "death is part of life."
Poole cartwheeled through some rocks after jumping off a cliff in an area known as Wolverine Cirque, said Penn Newhard, a Black Diamond marketing consultant.
He was being filmed by crews for ski documentarian Warren Miller, said Jay Burke, a spokesman for Solitude ski area. Ski patrollers at Solitude were the first to reach Poole after the fall.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Black Diamond's Web site says Poole learned to ski in Montana. Some of his exploits are posted on YouTube. He also participated in the Levitation Project, a film with skiers and snowboarders.
He recently told the Web site, www.biglines.com, about escaping an avalanche while in a helicopter last winter with other skiers and a film crew in British Columbia.
"Not to be dramatic, but there is no reason we should have made it home at all that day. ... I now know that any one of my friends could be gone in an instant and it has made me very thankful for the time I have with them," Poole said.