TL;DR
Kai Smart, a 23-year-old freeskier and filmmaker from Whistler, has died from injuries sustained in an avalanche burial in Japan. The son of two-time Canadian Olympian John Smart was repatriated to Vancouver before his death on March 23.
Canadian freeskier and filmmaker dies after avalanche burial in Japan
Kai Smart, a 23-year-old freeskier and filmmaker from Whistler, died on March 23 from injuries sustained in an avalanche in Japan. His father, two-time Canadian Olympic moguls skier John Smart, confirmed the death on social media after the family had flown Kai home to Vancouver General Hospital for further medical assessment.
Smart had been placed in critical condition following the avalanche burial on March 13. Medical staff determined that oxygen deprivation during the burial made recovery impossible. In keeping with his wishes, Smart's organs were donated to five recipients.
From competition to backcountry filmmaking
Smart grew up immersed in competitive skiing. His parents, John and Julia Smart, both former Olympians, operate Momentum Ski Camps in Whistler. He competed across all three freestyle disciplines before focusing on slopestyle at age 14, according to Pique Newsmagazine. By his late teens, he'd shifted away from competition entirely, drawn instead to backcountry skiing and film production.He graduated with honours from the University of British Columbia in May 2025. Shortly after, he completed work on Tien Shan Dream, a ski film documenting a two-week glacier traverse in Kazakhstan. The film, available on Apple TV, Roku, and Outside TV, represented his first significant freeride expedition and filmmaking project.
