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Colorado skier had been preparing for a month for ill-fated highway stunt jump

By April 12, 2024 | updated 2 years ago

Dallas LeBeau
Freestyle skier Dallas LeBeau was killed April 9 attempting a high-risk stunt jump over Highway 40 near Berthoud Pass summit.
GoFundMe

The 21-year-old skier who was killed attempting a jump over a Colorado highway had been preparing for the high-risk stunt for more than a month, according to a new report.

Dallas LeBeau was identified by the Grand County Coroner’s office as the skier who died April 9 on Highway 40 near Berthoud Pass summit when he failed to clear the width of the roadway.

LeBeau’s mother Valerie LeBeau told SkiMag.com that her son had been checking the run and building the jump for over a month and had planned to submit a video of it to GoPro for their Line of the Year contest.

It was LeBeau’s first attempt at clearing a road, his mother told the ski publication.

However, she said, LeBeau got sick leading up to the stunt and that delayed his jump by about 10 days. She believes some of the snow melted on the north-facing run, which may have slowed him down too much before his ill-fated jump.

The Grand County Sheriff’s Office said LeBeau lacked the speed and distance to clear U.S. Highway 40. Bystanders attempted to perform CPR but LeBeau was unconscious and not breathing. Emergency responders determined he was dead when they arrived and the coroner was called to the scene.

LeBeau’s mother said her son was skiing with friends at the time of his death, according to the report.

Devin Shirk, who set up a GoFundMe to pay for LeBeau’s funeral expenses and help the family with expenses said he was friends with Dallas LeBeau since before preschool.

“He was one of the most joyful and kind people you could ever meet,” Shirk wrote on the GoFundMe page. “He was always raising good spirits and loved to ski ever since he was 2.”

The GoFundMe had raised nearly $50,000 as of Friday afternoon.

LeBeau was a competitive freestyle skier and competed in the Freeride World Tour Qualifiers this winter where he was ranked 173rd.

His mother told SkiMag.com that her son didn’t have a great competition season and may have wanted to prove himself. She added that no contest or social media post is worth risking your life.

“If parents and friends try to tell you that something is a bad idea, you should listen,” she said in the report. “I hope this tragedy might save someone else’s life by making them think before they do something.”

LeBeau was a Gilpin County resident and a coach in Winter Park Competition Center’s Big Mountain Program.

He grew up skiing Winter Park, Granby Ranch and Steamboat. He was survived by his longtime girlfriend and ski partner, Sophia Morris, and his 18-year-old brother Dusty LeBeau, who also competed in the Freeride World Qualifiers this year, according to the report.

LeBeau’s ski-jumping skills can be seen on his Instagram page, which includes several videos.

Daniel Boniface

Reporter

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