Cutting through the powder, streaking across the slopes, and catching some big air are just some of the things that attract people to the slopes of Colorado. For one man, these risks simply weren’t too dangerous, nor was the air high enough. He needed more to make his mark and to feel a real sense of accomplishment. Setting his sights on Colorado’s Highway 40, the skier attempted to cross the road on a jump but was unsuccessful.

In a Facebook post, the department wrote, “Very sadly, on April 9, 2024, at approximately 3 p.m…It was reported that a 21-year-old male was unconscious and not breathing and that bystander CPR had been initiated. Emergency responders arrived on the scene and determined that the male subject was deceased, and the Grand County Coroner’s Office was notified to respond to the scene. The preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was attempting to perform a high-risk skiing stunt by trying to clear the width of Highway 40 and unfortunately lacked the necessary speed and distance and subsequently landed on the highway pavement. The victim had been wearing a helmet and other protective gear.”

While the comments section of the post featured people pleading for prayers for the family and others trying to say it was an accident, someone posted a photo that was reportedly of the ramp by the highway. Simply looking at the angle of approach it becomes crystal clear that this jump would come up short even for the most skilled of skiers.

This Darwin Award winner shut down Highway 40 in both directions for hours as workers investigated the accident and cleaned up the mess from shorting the jump. While it took some time, they were able to reopen after a reasonable stoppage, and hopefully, the would-be daredevils of the slopes learned something from this tragic failure.