Industry News
Former pro-skier David Lesh, 34, has been cited following his stunt last summer when he and a buddy were caught snowmobiling on snow-less ground in the Independence Pass area near Aspen, CO.
Three Aspen-area ecologists were astounded last July when they came across two snowmobilers running their sleds down fragile, snow-free terrain on the Upper Lost Man Loop. The three hikers felt the incident was indicative of a growing mentality that “anything goes” on public lands in the pursuit of fun, reported the Aspen Times. The snowmobilers were running their sleds over the wet ground to reach the parking area along Highway 82.
Lesh, co-founder of Colorado-based Virtika clothing was cited for:
‘possessing or using a motor vehicle in a designated wilderness, prohibited to operate or possess an over-the-snow vehicle on National Forest Lands in violation of restrictions, damaging any natural feature or other property of the United States, and selling or offering for sale any merchandise or conducting any kind of work activity’
Lesh posted pictures of himself snowmobiling on Independence Pass on that day to social media, which ultimately led and helped with the prosecution.
Lesh is no stranger to ‘bad publicity’, often engaging in stunts that garner public attention. In August 2019 he crash-landed his plane into Half Moon Bay off the California Coast, live streaming the plane sinking and the whole rescue operation.
- Related: VIDEO: Former Pro-Skier David Lesh Crashed His Plane into Half Moon Bay Off California on Tuesday
Back in July 2014, Lesh was arrested and charged with arson, following a fire at the Virtika warehouse in Boulder, caused during the filming of a promotional video.
The guy is desperate for attention, he must have known posting a video online would eventually be seen by law enforcement officials. He’s definitely missing the smart gene .