The man was reportedly part of a camera crew exploring the terrain when the skier without a helmet fell and hit his head on a snow-covered rock.
Despite efforts to resuscitate the Slovenian man by his team and resort staff, the victim died at the scene, the statement concluded.
Two Grilc sponsors – Burton Snowboards and GoPro – confirmed the skier’s death via Twitter Wednesday.
“Our hearts go out to his fiance Nina and their children, family and friends, all of whom share a love and passion for skiing.”
“He is a legend and will be truly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Grilc is survived by his fiancée and two children.
Born in Ljubljana, Grilc has become a prominent name in the freestyle scene during his long career.
During his 11-year playing career, Grilc has scored nine times on the podium – victories coming from Big Air events at the European Cup Winners’ Cup in Croatia 2004 and the World Cup in London in 2010.
His last competitive appearance was at the World Cup in Copper Mountain, Colorado in 2013, and Grilc later turned to more skiing-related filming.
“Snowboarding is very simple, it’s basically just chopping down the mountain on a piece of wood,” Grilc says at the end of the video.
“It’s just the pain you get from riding, from doing a sick job, and the happiness I see here is unreal. I’m sure this team of people will have stories to tell. for many years to come.”
