Skier and Filmmaker Kai Smart Passes Away After Avalanche Burial in Japa

March 24, 2026

The snowsports community has suffered a tragic loss. Whistler skier Kai Smart, 23, has passed away after being buried in an avalanche in Japan earlier this month.

Kai’s father John Smart made the announcement on Instagram Tuesday. “It is with immense sadness that we have to let you know that our kind, brave and beautiful son and brother Kai is no longer with us,” he wrote. “We are beyond heartbroken and there are no words to describe the pain we are feeling losing him so young.”

As John went on to explain, they were able to fly Kai from Japan to Vancouver General Hospital in an air ambulance Thursday. However, they soon learned that severe lack of oxygen during the avalanche “had destroyed any chance of recovery.” Kai’s family said their final farewells to him last night. THE Inertia