U.S. Olympic Hopeful Killed by Avalanche

A professional snowboarder who just missed qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team was killed in an avalanche during a video shoot in the Sierra Nevada.

Jamil Khan, 22, of Gloversville, N.Y., and three companions were making a snowboarding video near Donner Ski Ranch in Truckee, Calif., on Wednesday when he was swept away by plunging snow.

Khan was standing on an overhang of ice and snow when a 20-foot section gave way, authorities said. He fell about 300 feet down the steep slope and was buried upside down for about an hour before he was located by rescuers.

Khan was one of about 45 international riders on the Burton Snowboards pro team. Burton, located in Burlington, Vt., is the world’s largest snowboard manufacturer.

“This is a tragedy. Everyone is very upset,” Burton spokeswoman Amy Barrett said. “A lot of us were very good friends with Jamil. He was an excellent athlete and a really good guy too.”

Barrett said Khan had made numerous videos in the past for various sponsors, but she did not know if Wednesday’s shoot was a professional outing or just for fun.

Khan and his friends had not yet begun filming and were still setting up when the slide occurred, the Nevada County sheriff’s office said.

Khan competed in the U.S. Olympic trials, finishing second in a December qualifier. He finished lower in the two January trials and just missed a spot on the inaugural U.S. Olympic snowboard team.