Dallas LeBeau knew how to ski before he knew how to walk.
The 21-year-old skier and Winter Park coach who died attempting to jump over U.S. Highway 40 near the Berthoud Pass summit on April 9 had always been passionate about the sport and felt he needed to do something unique to make a name for himself in the industry, his mother Valerie LeBeau wrote in an email to the Denver Post.
“He always wanted to do something big,” Dallas’s childhood friend Devin Shirk said. “He told me a couple of times before that he wanted to do a jump like this, but we never had any idea it would end this way.”
Valerie remembers pulling Dallas up and down the driveway on skis before he could even walk, but she said he really learned to ski on his own when he turned 4 years old.
Dallas used to build ski courses in his family’s backyard, including jumps that would launch him over the propane tank, Valerie said.
“When we were kids, we loved sledding and skiing so much that even when there wasn’t snow on the ground, we’d go find dirt hills and sandhills to sled down or practice on,” Shirk said. “Skiing was his whole life, and he turned it into his full-time job. It’s all he wanted to do. Ski competitions, coaching classes, he was always up the mountain every weekend, every chance he could get. He would chase storms just to ski.”
In a recent application to become a brand representative for Grass Sticks — a ski pole company — Dallas wrote that his dream was to be able to ski every day.
“Even if I can’t make it to the X Games or the Olympics, I’d rather be waist deep in snow than waist deep with a desk,” he wrote.
Dallas spent more than a month meticulously planning the U.S. Highway 40 jump, former professional skier Conner Nelson said. He spent days building the route, landing and takeoff areas; spoke extensively with local residents and ski professionals; and coordinated a team to document the jump.
According to Nelson, no one has ever jumped the Berthoud Pass road gap the way Dallas tried to.
Road gap jumps are a longstanding tradition in the ski community that involves jumping over a road, preferably with a car or bus driving underneath.
“Road gaps have always been one of the coolest things you can do in the free-skiing world, true pioneers in the sport have been using them to make a name for themselves for a long time,” Nelson said. “There’s something about jumping over a highway that intentionally adds a ton of risk, but makes your skiing more recognizable.”
Today, ski routes at resorts and terrain parks are perfectly built and have too many known variables, Nelson said. The allure of taking a new, dangerous step is being able to do something that no one has ever done before.
“Only Dallas will really know why the jump didn’t work,” Nelson said. “People who go into the backcountry seeking unique and progressive opportunities understand the challenges and difficulties that individual spots present. This particular location presented a lot of challenges to deal with all at once.”
Bob Holme, a two-time Olympic skier, director of mountain maintenance at Winter Park Resort and a close friend of the LeBeaus, organized a memorial fund in Dallas’ honor to help other skiers prepare for the numerous challenges of the backcountry.
With the help of the non-profit organization Friends of Berthoud Pass, the Dallas LeBeau Memorial Fund will finance scholarships for ski certifications and education and create a free half-day class, Dallas’ Class, with backcountry-focused content.
“So far, the response from industry professionals and pro athletes I have shared this concept with has been overwhelmingly positive,” Holme said in an email to The Denver Post. “A common response has been, ‘Why isn’t there something like this already?’ As a two-time Olympian, I know that sometimes the information that is held by the most elite athletes does not have a platform or ‘place’ in which to share that knowledge. We hope this is a platform to do that in the backcountry scene.”
Holme hopes that Dallas’ Class will attract young enthusiasts who don’t participate in traditional backcountry education. “These athletes are entering the backcountry underinformed,” he said.
The first part of the class, dedicated to snow safety awareness, will be taught by FOBP instructors. The second portion will feature big mountain risk management content such as jump building, landing construction and considerations, and situational decision-making taught by prominent snow sport athletes and professionals.
“The excitement and lure of the backcountry should be coupled with the knowledge and understanding of the risks related to this type of skiing and riding,” Holme said. “Everybody is safer in the backcountry when we are all more educated and trained like the pros we aspire to be.”
Class participants can also apply for a scholarship for a level one avalanche certification course, continuing education in Companion Rescue, and level two or three certifications. Donations received by FOBP will be automatically directed into Dallas’ memorial fund until May 1.
The class will continue Dallas’ skiing legacy, further supporting the community he dedicated his life to.
“He truly was the best person that you could’ve met. He would be there for anybody in a heartbeat and he was just loved by the community,” Shirk added. “It really shows that he really was there for everybody and cared about everybody. It’s left a huge hole in both our families and the skiing community.”
