Doug Coombs (September 24, 1957 – April 3, 2006) was an American

alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...

and

mountaineer Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...

who helped to pioneer the sport of

extreme skiing Extreme skiing is a form of skiing performed on long, steep (typically from 45 to 60+ degrees, or grades of 100 to 170 percent) slopes in mountainous terrain. The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s. The first practitioners incl ...

, both in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and worldwide.

Early life and education

Coombs was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and grew up in

Bedford, Massachusetts Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population of Bedford was 14,161 at th2022 United States census History ''The following compilation comes from Ellen Abrams (1999) based on information from Abram Engl ...

, skiing in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. He attended

Bedford High School (Massachusetts) Bedford High School is a public high school in Bedford, Massachusetts, United States. It is operated under the authority of the Bedford Public Schools district. Students come primarily from Bedford. Other students that attend Bedford High Schoo ...

before attending

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It enrolls more students than any other college or university in the state. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's d ...

Bozeman Bozeman ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The 2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montan ...

where he honed his skiing skills at nearby Bridger Bowl before becoming a fixture of the extreme skiing scene in

Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre Range, Gros Ventre and Teton Range, Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, Wyoming, T ...

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

, helping to found Valdez Heli-Ski Guides (and the

heliskiing Heli-skiing is off-trail, downhill skiing or snowboarding where the skier reaches the top of the mountain by helicopter, instead of a ski lift. History In the late 1950s, helicopters were used in Alaska and Europe to access remote terrain. The ...

industry) in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

in 1994, and twice winning the

World Extreme Skiing Championship The World Extreme Skiing Championships (WESC) was an extreme skiing competition held from 1991 to 2000 in Valdez, Alaska Valdez ( ; Alutiiq language, Alutiiq: ) is a city in the Chugach Census Area, Alaska, Chugach Census Area in the U.S. stat ...

, in 1991 and 1993.

Personal life

Coombs married Emily Gladstone in 1992 and, in 1993, they founded ''Doug Coombs Steep Skiing Camps Worldwide'' in

. In 1997, the Coombs moved the business to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and the company continues to operate today in

La Grave La Grave (; ) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association. It is a small ski resort in the French Alps, dominat ...

and

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...

, in the

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...

. 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

Couloir A couloir (, "passage" or "corridor") is a narrow gully with a steep gradient in a mountainous terrain.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, p. 121. . Geology A couloir may be a seam, scar, or fissure, o ...

de Polichinelle in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. 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 memorializes him.

Legacy

Doug's passion for skiing has been kept alive through the Doug Coombs Foundation, now Coombs Outdoors. Coombs Outdoors was established in 2013 to offer children from low-income families the guidance, support, and equipment required to participate in the amazing outdoor adventure experiences and sports activities that define the Jackson Community. Through these physical pursuits, it enables low-income children to reach their full potential and to engage in the wide array of outdoor activities offered in Jackson Wyoming. His life is described in Rob Cocuzzo's book 'Tracking the Wild Coomba'. Coombs' Law is described as "there are no bad ski conditions, only bad skiers."

Filmography

While not an exhaustive list, Doug Coombs has been featured in a number of ski films, including: *''Groove: Requiem In the Key of Ski'' (1991, Greg Stump), competing in the Extreme Skiing Invitational at Blackcomb, in which he complains that the course, in the Saudan Couloir, is not extreme *''

Aspen Extreme ''Aspen Extreme'' is a 1993 American drama film written and directed by Patrick Hasburgh. The plot is about two ski buddies, T.J. Burke (Paul Gross) and Dexter Rutecki (Peter Berg), who move from Brighton, Michigan to Aspen, Colorado to seek a b ...

'' (1993), credited as stunt skier *Matchstick Productions "The Hedonist" (1994) Final scene. *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 Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...

'' (2005), stunts *Warren Miller's ''Off the Grid'' (2006) contains a tribute to Doug Coombs *'' Steep'' (2007) *''The Edge of Never'' (2009) *''Swift. Silent. Deep.'' (2010), archive footage.

External links

Coombs Outdoors
previously the Doug Coombs Foundation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coombs, Doug 1957 births 2006 deaths American male alpine skiers Extreme skiers Skiing deaths Montana State University alumni People from Bedford, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts Sport deaths in France Bedford High School (Massachusetts) alumni 20th-century American sportsmen