Doug Coombs
Encyclopedia
Doug Coombs was an American
alpine skier
and mountaineer
who helped to pioneer the sport of extreme skiing
, both in North America and worldwide.
, skiing in New Hampshire
and Vermont
. He attended 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
, Wyoming
, helping to found Valdez
Heli-Ski Guides (and the heliskiing
industry) in Alaska
in 1993, and twice winning the World Extreme Skiing Championship
, in 1991 and 1993.
Coombs married Emily Gladstone in 1992, and in 1993 they founded Doug Coombs Steep Skiing Camps Worldwide in Jackson Hole
, Wyoming
. In 1997 the Coombs moved the business to Europe, and the company continues to operate today in La Grave
and Chamonix
, in the French Alps
. Doug and his wife Emily have a son, David.
de Polichinelle in La Grave
, France
. 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 is named after him as well.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alpine skier
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
and mountaineer
Mountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
who helped to pioneer the sport of extreme skiing
Extreme skiing
Extreme skiing is skiing performed on long, steep slopes in dangerous terrain. The sport is performed off-piste.The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s...
, both in North America and worldwide.
Biography
Coombs was born in Boston and grew up in Bedford, MassachusettsBedford, Massachusetts
Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, north-west of the city of Boston. The population of Bedford was 13,320 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, skiing in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. He attended Montana State University
Montana State University - Bozeman
Montana State University – Bozeman is a public university located in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's land-grant university and primary campus in the Montana State University System, which is part of the Montana University System...
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
Jackson Hole, originally called Jackson's Hole, is a valley located in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the western border with Idaho. The name "hole" derives from language used by early trappers or mountain men, who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend along...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, helping to found Valdez
Valdez, Alaska
Valdez is a city in Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 4,020. The city is one of the most important ports in Alaska. The port of Valdez was named in 1790 after the Spanish naval officer Antonio Valdés y...
Heli-Ski Guides (and the heliskiing
Heliskiing
Heliskiing is off-trail, downhill skiing that is accessed by a helicopter, not a ski lift. Heliskiing is essentially about skiing in a natural—albeit highly selected—environment without the effort or gear compromise required for hiking into these areas as in ski touring or ski mountaineering.Most...
industry) in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
in 1993, and twice winning the World Extreme Skiing Championship
World Extreme Skiing Championship
World Extreme Skiing Championship - The WESC competition revolutionized the ski industry by promoting big mountain skiers. The first year had 37 contestants. Valdez hosted the World Extreme Skiing Champions starting in 1991. In 1994, WESC champion Doug Coombs, along with his wife Emily, went on...
, in 1991 and 1993.
Coombs married Emily Gladstone in 1992, and in 1993 they founded Doug Coombs Steep Skiing Camps Worldwide in Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole, originally called Jackson's Hole, is a valley located in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the western border with Idaho. The name "hole" derives from language used by early trappers or mountain men, who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend along...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. In 1997 the Coombs moved the business to Europe, and the company continues to operate today in La Grave
La Grave
La Grave 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 . It was the birthplace of Nicolas de Nicolay; adventurer and Geographer Ordinary to Henry II of France....
and Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
, in the French Alps
French Alps
The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....
. Doug and his wife Emily have a son, David.
Death
While skiing with friends on April 3, 2006, Doug Coombs died from a severe fall at the CouloirCouloir
A couloir is a narrow gully with a steep gradient in a mountainous terrain. A couloir may be a seam, scar, or fissure, or vertical crevasse in an otherwise solid mountain mass...
de Polichinelle in La Grave
La Grave
La Grave 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 . It was the birthplace of Nicolas de Nicolay; adventurer and Geographer Ordinary to Henry II of France....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. 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 is named after him as well.
Filmography
While not an exhaustive list, Doug Coombs has been featured in a number of ski films, including:- Aspen ExtremeAspen ExtremeAspen Extreme is a 1993 film about two ski buddies, TJ Burke and Dexter Rutecki , who move from Brighton, Michigan to Aspen to seek a better life. The two friends quickly become Aspen ski instructors, but women, drugs, and job troubles threaten to destroy their relationship...
(1993), credited as stunt skier - 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 FourFantastic Four (film)Fantastic Four is a 2005 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics comic Fantastic Four. It was directed by Tim Story, and released by 20th Century Fox. It is the second live-action Fantastic Four film to be filmed. The previous attempt, a B-movie produced by Roger Corman only for the...
(2005), stunts - Warren Miller's Off the Grid (2006) contains a tribute to Doug Coombs
- SteepSteep (2007 film)Steep is a 2007 documentary about extreme skiing written and directed by Mark Obenhaus . Steep explores the history of extreme and Big Mountain Skiing, starting with its roots in 1960s and 1970s North America and Europe, with Bill Briggs' now famous first descent of the Grand Teton, and progressing...
(2007) - Swift. Silent. Deep. (2010), archive footage.
External links
- Doug Coombs Steep Skiing Camps Worldwide
- Doug Coombs Memorial Fund set up to benefit Coombs' widow, Emily, and son, David
- Remembering Doug Coombs archive of Coombs-related stories from Powder magazine
- The Quick and Painless Ski Tune video of Coombs giving ski-tuning advice
- A LEGEND FALLS: 4/5 - Coombs died in fall over cliff Powder Magazine