Doug Coombs (September 24, 1957 – April 3, 2006) was an American

alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

and

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

who helped to pioneer the sport of extreme skiing, both in North America and worldwide.

Early life and education

Coombs was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and grew up in

Bedford, Massachusetts Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population of Bedford was 14,383 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. History ''The following compilation comes from Ellen Abrams (1999) based on information ...

, skiing in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

and

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. He attended

Bedford High School (Massachusetts) Bedford High School is a public high school in the town of Bedford, Massachusetts, United States. It is operated under the authority of the Bedford Public Schools district. Students come primarily from Bedford. Other students that attend Bedford ...

before attending Montana State University in Bozeman where he honed his skiing skills at nearby Bridger Bowl before becoming a fixture of the extreme skiing scene in

Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, one of the richest counties in the Unit ...

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

, helping to found Valdez Heli-Ski Guides (and the

heliskiing Heli-skiing is off-trail, downhill skiing or snowboarding where the skier reaches the top of the mountain by helicopter, instead of a ski lift. History In the late 1950s, helicopters were used in Alaska and Europe to access remote terrain. The ...

industry) in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

in 1994, and twice winning the World Extreme Skiing Championship, in 1991 and 1993.

Personal life and philanthropy

Coombs married Emily Gladstone in 1992 and, in 1993, they founded ''Doug Coombs Steep Skiing Camps Worldwide'' in

. In 1997, the Coombs moved the business to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, and the company continues to operate today in

La Grave La Grave (; oc, La Grava) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. It is a small ski resort in the French Alps, dominated by La Meije (3982 m). It was the birthplace of Nicolas de Nicolay; adventurer and Geograp ...

and

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...

, in the

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as ...

. Doug and his wife Emily have a son, David. Doug's passion for skiing has been kept alive through the Doug Coombs Foundation. The Doug Coombs Foundation was established in 2013 to offer children from low-income families the guidance, support, and equipment required to participate in the amazing outdoor adventure experiences and sports activities that define the Jackson Community. Through these physical pursuits, it enables low-income children to reach their full potential and to become contributing members of society.

Death

While skiing with friends on April 3, 2006, Doug Coombs died from a severe fall at the

Couloir A ''couloir'' (, "passage" or "corridor") is a narrow gully with a steep gradient in a mountainous terrain.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, p. 121. . Geology A couloir may be a seam, scar, or fissu ...

de Polichinelle in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. He was trying to rescue his friend Chad VanderHam, who had fallen himself. Both skiers fell approximately 1500 feet. Doug Coombs was found dead after the fall, and VanderHam later died from his injuries. Coombs was 48. A memorial for Coombs was held at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on June 25, 2006. A run on the upper part of the mountain memorializes him.

Filmography

While not an exhaustive list, Doug Coombs has been featured in a number of ski films, including: *''Groove: Requiem In the Key of Ski'' (1991, Greg Stump), competing in the Extreme Skiing Invitational at Blackcomb, in which he complains that the course, in the Saudan Couloir, is not extreme *''

Aspen Extreme ''Aspen Extreme'' is a 1993 American drama film written and directed by Patrick Hasburgh. The plot is about two ski buddies, T.J. Burke (Paul Gross) and Dexter Rutecki (Peter Berg), who move from Brighton, Michigan to Aspen, Colorado to seek a be ...

'' (1993), credited as stunt skier *Matchstick Productions "The Hedonist" (1994) Final scene. *Teton Gravity Research's ''The Continuum'' (1996) *Warren Miller's ''Cold Fusion'' (2001) *Warren Miller's ''Storm'' (2002) *Warren Miller's ''Journey'' (2003) *''Waiting Game'' (2005) *'' Fantastic Four'' (2005), stunts *Warren Miller's ''Off the Grid'' (2006) contains a tribute to Doug Coombs *'' Steep'' (2007) *''The Edge of Never'' (2009) *''Swift. Silent. Deep.'' (2010), archive footage.

External links

Doug Coombs Foundation

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coombs, Doug 1957 births 2006 deaths American male alpine skiers Extreme skiers Skiing deaths Montana State University alumni People from Bedford, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts Sport deaths in France Bedford High School (Massachusetts) alumni