Snowboarding Legend Dies in Filming Accident

The snowboarding world is mourning accomplished freestyler Marko Grilc, who died in an accident while filming in Austria this week. The 38-year-old, nicknamed "Grilo," was one of the most successful snowboarders Slovenia has ever produced, with nine podium finishes over an 11-year competitive career that started in 2002, CNN reports. In later years, he focused on snowboarding-related filming ventures. Police in Austria say Grilc was part of a team exploring terrain near the ski resort of Sölden Tuesday when he fell while descending a slope in deep snow and hit his head on a snow-covered rock. Grilc, who was not wearing a helmet, died at the scene, police say.

Grilc is survived by two young children and fiancee Nina, who is pregnant with their third child, the Slovenia Times reports. Grilc's "legendary acclaim might have come from his early days riding, but over the past few years his role as a father and teacher in snowboarding forever solidified him as a pillar of our culture," Mark Clavin writes in an obituary in Snowboard magazine. Sponsors GoPro and Burton Snowboards also paid tribute to Grilc. "He was a beloved member of the GoPro family and inspired us not only as a professional athlete, but as a father and an amazing human," GoPro said in a statement. "He was a legend and will be truly missed." (More snowboarding stories.)