Avalanche
A ski guide from New Zealand died in an avalanche in Japan yesterday, Saturday.
Sam Kerr, 35, was snowboarding in an off-limits zone at Niseko ski resort in Hokkaido when he was buried by an avalanche and killed.
Sam posted the above photo to his facebook page only hours before he passed away.
Sam ran guides adventure tours out of Niseko and lived there with his 4-year-old son and wife.
The Japan Times reported that Sam’s body was recovered from beneath the avalanche debris on Saturday.
The avalanche was reported to be 650′ wide and 1000′ long.
Sam grew up in Dunedin, NZ and fell in love with Niseko, Japan on his first trip there in 2007.
His body was extracted from under the snow at Niseko ski resort in Kutchan, Hokkaido following the avalanche on Saturday, The Japan Times said.
This is the first avalanche death in Japan that we have heard of this season.
“Sam grew up in Dunedin and always had a passion for the outdoors, after his first trip to Japan in 2007 he fell in love with Niseko. Returning to start a successful snowboarding business. Taking people from around the world on the ultimate adventure.
Sadly Sam was killed in a avalanche and this photo was posted by Sam himself to Facebook shortly before the tragic event happened.” – Sam’s givealittle.com fundraising page
