Hoot Brown
Brooks “Hoot” Brown died March 24 at age 16 from injuries sustained when he slipped onto the moving track of a Sno-Cat machine as he hitched a ride to the top of a ski terrain park near Telluride.
Brown ranked among the top freeriders in the U.S. An accomplished skier and snowboarder, he was 13 when he began competing on the Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club’s new freeride team.
Athletic and dauntless, he embraced freeride skiing, a new discipline whose focus on gymnastic and stunt skiing in ski terrain parks is luring scores of young thrill-seekers away from their snowboards.
With its combination of aggressive skiing and extreme stunts performed using pipes, rails, jumps and boxes, freeride skiing came naturally to Brown, a sophomore at Telluride High School.
He placed sixth in a February ski riding event in Telluride, placed 34th at the Junior Olympics earlier this month, and was nationally ranked 57th in slope style by the U.S. Skiing Association.
“The fact he was so new to that sport and doing that well just speaks volumes about where he could have gone,” said Justin Chandler, executive director of the Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club.
“Actually, it’s pretty extraordinary how fast he got that good, going against other kids who were more experienced in what’s become the fastest growing portion of skiing right now.”
Coaches and friends admired Brown’s infectious enthusiasm and his almost preternatural ability to rally teammates into focusing their skills as they tested their limits. The Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club embraces four disciplines: alpine skiing, snowboarding, freestyle skiing and Nordic skiing.
“Hoot was a guy who always wanted to be out there practicing, and his passion was really contagious for all the disciplines,” Chandler said.
“He was a leader. We have 220 kids in this club. He could focus them when they were too excited to calm down, and pump them up if they were too mellow. Timing was always good with him.”
Brown wore his pants low and his jackets big. He favored painfully bright neon hues along with a combination of black, yellow, red and green that he called “rasta colors,” a reference to the Jamaican reggae music he loved and frequently chose when he played deejay on the team’s trips out of town.
He wore headbands and hats that he crocheted himself, usually also in rasta colors.
“Hoot had his own style, and he lived in the now,” said the club’s freestyle team coach, Caleb Martin.
“When you’re flying 60, 70 feet through the air, 25 or 30 feet above the ground, the amount of focus you need is tremendous. Your life and limbs are on the line. That was part of his love for it – not only the adrenaline, but that focus, and living in the moment.”
Survivors include mother Dee Pearce of Ridgway and father Banks Brown of Telluride. - The Denver Post
Hannah Smith
Hannah Major Smith of Telluride passed away at her residence March 15. She was 29.
A celebration of her life will be held Saturday from 5:30-7 p.m. at the bottom of Lift 4 in the Village Plaza. Crippin Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Hannah was born Oct. 11, 1991, at Montrose Memorial Hospital to parents Scott. E. Smith and Jacqueline Major Brown. She grew up in Telluride and graduated from Telluride High School, before attending Boulder’s University of Colorado, where she earned bachelor degrees in environmental science and studio art, as well as a minor in snow hydrology. Her studies aligned with her passions of environmental activism, painting and design work.A beloved member of the community, many knew Hannah through her role as Telski’s terrain park manager, as she was an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoyed skiing, hiking, biking, boarding, camping, and being with friends and family.
Hannah had the ability to warm the room with her optimism, honesty and higher-level thinking. She strove to fulfill not only her own potential, but also the potential of everyone around her.
She was other-centered and saw the best in everyone. She was giving, supportive on every level, highly motivated and artistic, and the glue of our family. She is already missed so much.
Since Hannah’s passing, several impromptu community tributes and memorials have taken place. On March 15, Telluride Brewing Company held a communitywide toast at its Lawson Hill headquarters, in printing “Hannah 4ever” on its cans.
“Than you, Hannah, for shining your light on us all,” they posted on social media.
Similarly, “We love Hannah” was painted across the terrain park’s biggest jump, a launch spot Hannah always owned, as Telski remembered one of their most popular, and inspiring, employees.
“Our town, community and company lost an incredible person this week,” Telski said in a statement posted to its social media platforms. “Hannah was a joy to every person she crossed paths with, and she lit up every room or lift line she was in. Her giant smile and incredible laugh were contagious, and she made everyone she met feel like a close friend.
“We celebrate her life and the impact that she made, not only as the incredible manager of the Telluride Terrain Park, but also the impact she had on the entire community of Telluride. Although this town is heavy with loss, we will smile when we lap the park or hear a happy hoot skiing powder, because we will think of you Hannah Smith, and the joy you brought to all of us.”
Local Olympic snowboarder Hagen Kearney dedicated his recent FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup second-place finish in Switzerland to Hannah and the mourning Telluride community.
Over the weekend, a large group of friends rode the terrain park in her memory, as several people placed flowers at the base of the Hoot Brown statue.
Photographs of Hannah skiing big, mid-air, have been shared by numerous people via social media. You can feel the excitement and adrenaline just by looking at them. It’s moments like those that are immortal. Hannah forever. - Telluride Daily Planet
In addition to the tributes to the individuals above I would also like to take a moment to simply say: Rest In Peace Able, Legends Never Die - We really mean it.
**This thread was edited on Jan 16th 2024 at 1:17:34am
