Doug Coombs
{{Short description|American alpine skier (1957–2006)}}
{{for|the New Zealand geologist|Doug Coombs (geologist)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Doug Coombs
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1957|09|24}}
| birth_place = Bedford, Massachusetts, United States
| death_date ={{death date and age|2006|04|03|1957|09|24}}
| death_place = Couloir de Polichinelle in La Grave, France
| nationality = {{flagcountry|USA}}
| known_for = Extreme skiing, film appearances (including Steep (2007) and Warren Miller films)
| awards = World Extreme Skiing Champion (1991 and 1993)
| occupation = Alpine Skier and Mountaineer
| spouse = Emily Coombs (nee Gladstone)
}}
Doug Coombs (September 24, 1957 – April 3, 2006) was an American alpine skier and mountaineer who helped to pioneer the sport of extreme skiing, both in North America and worldwide.
Early life and education
Coombs was born in Boston and grew up in Bedford, Massachusetts, skiing in New Hampshire and Vermont.{{cite news |first=Nathaniel |last=Vinton |title=Skiing Beyond Safety's Edge Once Too Often |newspaper=The New York Times |date=17 May 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/17/sports/othersports/17ski.html?_r=0}} He attended Bedford High School (Massachusetts){{cite web |title=Bedford will welcome its third class to Hall |url=https://www.lowellsun.com/2010/10/10/bedford-will-welcome-its-third-class-to-hall/ |website=Lowell Sun |access-date=22 September 2020 |date=10 October 2010}}{{cite news |title=Remembering a Legend, Doug Coombs (1957-2006) |url=https://www.powder.com/remembering-doug-coombs/ |access-date=6 February 2021 |publisher=Powder |date=April 13, 2016}} before attending 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 1994, and twice winning the World Extreme Skiing Championship, in 1991 and 1993.Porter Fox, "Legendary: Remembering Doug Coombs" Powder 35, no. 1 (Sept. 2006): 76-87, on 77.
Personal life
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.[http://www.dougcoombs.com/ Doug Coombs Steep Skiing Camps Worldwide] Doug and his wife Emily have a son, David.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/09/sports/othersports/09coombs.html |title=Doug Coombs, 48, Dies in French Alps Accident |newspaper=The New York Times |date=9 April 2006 |last=Brozan |first=Nadine}}
Death
While skiing with friends on April 3, 2006, Doug Coombs died from a severe fall at the Couloir 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.[http://www.powdermag.com/news/doug-coombs/index.html A LEGEND FALLS: 4/5 - Coombs died in fall over cliff]{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Powder Magazine{{cite web |url=http://www.snewsnet.com/cgi-bin/snews/04679.html |title=Industry mourns the death of Doug Coombs, a humble legend; VanderHam also dies |publisher=SNEWS |website=snewsnet.com |access-date=2010-08-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716100909/http://www.snewsnet.com/cgi-bin/snews/04679.html |archive-date=2011-07-16 |url-status=dead }} Coombs was 48.
A memorial for Coombs was held at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on June 25, 2006.[http://www.dougcoombsmemorialfund.com/?page_id=16 Memorial in Jackson Hole - June 25, 2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710145716/http://www.dougcoombsmemorialfund.com/?page_id=16 |date=July 10, 2011 }} Doug Coombs Memorial Fund A run on the upper part of the mountain memorializes him.[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/snowandski/4927868/Jackson-Hole-ski-guide-top-five-runs.html Jackson Hole ski guide: top five runs] telegraph.co.uk
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.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dougcoombsfoundation.org/about |title=Doug Coombs Foundation |access-date=2015-09-10 |archive-date=2016-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312145006/http://www.dougcoombsfoundation.org/about/ |url-status=dead }}
His life is described in Rob Cocuzzo's book 'Tracking the Wild Coomba'.{{Cite web |url=https://journal.alpsandmeters.com/journal/2017/2/20/the-doug-coombs-foundation-an-excerpt-from-tracking-the-wild-coomba |title=Tracking the Wild Coomba book excerpt |access-date=2024-10-16}}
Coombs' Law is described as "there are no bad ski conditions, only bad skiers."{{Cite web |url=https://www.boulderventures.com/perspectives/coombs-law |title=Coombs' Law |access-date=2024-10-16}}
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 (1993), credited as stunt skier{{IMDb name|1809170}}
- 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 (2005), stunts
- Warren Miller's Off the Grid (2006) contains a tribute to Doug Coombs
- Steep (2007)[http://www.thedocumentarygroup.com/featuredProject.php?pid=13 Steep] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310105116/http://www.thedocumentarygroup.com/featuredProject.php?pid=13 |date=March 10, 2011 }} Steep on The Documentary Group's (production company) website
- The Edge of Never (2009)
- Swift. Silent. Deep. (2010), archive footage.
External links
- [http://www.coombsoutdoors.org/ Coombs Outdoors], previously the Doug Coombs Foundation.
References
{{Reflist|2}}
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Category:American male alpine skiers
Category:Montana State University alumni
Category:People from Bedford, Massachusetts
Category:Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Category:Sport deaths in France