Forums Splitboard Talk Forum R.I.P. Doug Coombs Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total) Author Posts April 4, 2006 at 3:31 pm #567708 Wyomingsplit_ride 663 Posts This comes as a tragic loss to the ski mountaineering community here in Wyoming and around the world. Doug was killed in an accident in France yesterday. Very sad news. The mags over on TGR are setting up a fund for those who are interested at http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50566 April 4, 2006 at 3:42 pm #588046 Ecobrad 2068 Posts Holy shit, man. My heart goes out to his family. 😥 😥 😥 April 4, 2006 at 4:37 pm #588047 Killclimbz 1165 Posts I read about this when I got into work this morning. Unreal. I have yet to hear about the identity of the other skier, but reports state he was from Colorado, so I am sure we’ll find out soon. So sad. 😥 He was trying to help someone else out. A hero to the end. RIP. April 4, 2006 at 4:43 pm #588048 Killclimbz 1165 Posts Chad Vander Ham was the other victim. RIP Chad. Report from TGR April 4, 2006 at 4:55 pm #588049 Scott Newsome 15 Posts The mountains have the power to make us feel so very alive, and they also have the power to take away good lives, good friends, good poeple. I met Doug in Alaska along time ago tasaina lodge, he was one of the best ski mountaineers of our time. my respect to his family. April 4, 2006 at 5:15 pm #588050 powderjunkie 1669 Posts terrible news. 🙁 🙁 🙁 What a life Doug lived. He inspired so many. His spirit will always live on here. April 5, 2006 at 5:40 am #588051 jimw 1421 Posts That is so terrible. What a huge loss to the ski mountaineering community. I always wanted to go to one of his steep skiing camps. I remember an article in Couloir or Backcountry several years back where he described an improbable descent on Mt. Hood, where he brought along a 2×4 for possible use as a rap anchor. Talk about skiing “desperate shit”. Here are a couple interesting videos: http://www.jacksonholevlog.com/2006/02/20/doug-coombs-and-his-q-and-p/ http://www.jacksonholevlog.com/the-otterbody-experience-streamed-quicktime-7-req/ In my mind he was in the superhuman league along with other fallen heroes Alex Lowe and Goran Kropp. RIP, condolences to his family. April 5, 2006 at 3:16 pm #588052 bcrider 4149 Posts RIP Doug. 😥 You will be missed by many. April 5, 2006 at 7:35 pm #588053 lewmt 570 Posts Very few genuine pioneers in this world. He was 1. Story I read indicated the accident occurred after Chad had slipped in an icy “no fall” section & gone over a cliff. Doug was reconning a rescue when he went over as well – contrary to the original avalanche story. April 6, 2006 at 6:39 pm #588054 safetypinguy 15 Posts 😥 April 6, 2006 at 8:28 pm #588055 Killclimbz 1165 Posts More info from Jackson Hole News Quote: Coombs dies in fall over cliff Skier slipped on rocks while trying to help friend who fell down gully in France. By Jim Stanford In the end, the man regarded by many as the greatest skier in the world simply lost an edge. Doug Coombs, the Jackson Hole mountaineer and guide who took the sports of skiing and climbing to new heights, died Monday in the French Alps after slipping and falling over a cliff while trying to aid a friend who had plunged over the same precipice. He was 48 years old. Chad VanderHam, 31, of Colorado later died of his injuries in the incident, which occurred near the resort of La Grave, about 50 miles east of Grenoble in southeast France. Coombs guided skiers at La Grave and also operated steep skiing camps there with his wife, Emily. He was skiing with friends at the time of the accident. French authorities confirmed the deaths Tuesday and gave a basic account of the incident. Miles Smart, a friend of Coombs’ and colleague at Exum Mountain Guides in Jackson Hole, provided further details in a telephone interview Tuesday from La Grave, where he had been guiding with Coombs this winter and had spoken with a member of the ski party. Coombs was one of four skiers, all Americans, descending the Couloir de Polichinelle, a steep chute that winds through cliffs and ends in a 200-foot drop, Smart said. To avoid the last cliff, skiers must traverse to the left at the bottom and exit via another chute, said Smart, who skied the Couloir de Polichinelle on Tuesday and inspected the scene of the accident. VanderHam went first and disappeared from sight. Coombs skied next, saw that VanderHam had fallen over the cliff and yelled to the other two skiers above – Matt Farmer and Christina Bloomquist – to bring a rope. “Doug skied down to the edge of the cliff and was sidestepping down on some rocks, to try to get a view of Chad, and Matt Farmer saw him slip a little bit,†May 19, 2006 at 11:09 pm #588056 SanFrantastico 1514 Posts Doug Coombs, left, and Chad VanderHam on April 3, during their final, fatal run in the French Alps. The New York Times ran this story on Wednesday… LA GRAVE, France, May 15  Putting the poo in swimming pool since 1968. Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total) You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
