X-Games Skier Dies in Calif. Fall

Another winter sports death has cast its shadow over the Vancouver Olympics: Free skier CR Johnson, a fixture on the extreme sports circuit, died in a fall yesterday at California's Squaw Valley. A professional extreme skier, Johnson competed in superpipe and halfpipe skiing at the X Games. He hit his head on a rocky outcropping after falling while trying to negotiate a steep chute.

Olympic alpine medalist Julia Mancuso, one of several US ski team members based at Squaw Valley, tweeted condolences to the family of "my friend and insane skier CR Johnson." Olympic snowboarder Louie Vito tweeted: "RIP to my homie CR Johnson. He will be missed by EVERYONE." Johnson is the fifth skier in three years to die on the slopes at Squaw Valley, a resort known for its challenging terrain. (More CR Johnson stories.)