Gus Kenworthy Pays Tribute To His Late Friend With An Awesome Video Of Him Tearing It Up Down The Mountain

*Click arrow in post for second video* 

I’m glad this got posted for two reasons. First because Gus has become so entrenched in the gay community as an icon and an activist that people forget what an incredible skier he is, which is the reason he’s famous in the first place. He’s earned medals in both The Olympics and X Games as well as the New Zealand Winter Games. And even though it seems like he hasn’t been focused on skiing as of late, he can still shred. So to see him casually strap on some skis and pull stuff like this….

… is truly incredible. The crazy part is that he makes it look so easy. Like he was going through a layup line getting warmed up for the real thing. I’m on the record as saying extreme athletes don’t get the respect they deserve and I stand by it.

The second reason I loved this post (get the tissues ready) is because it actually means something. His buddy, Brooks “Hoot” Brown, died at the age of sixteen in a Sno-Cat machine accident. This was his way of memorializing him.

“On March 24th, 2006, my childhood best friend, Hoot Brown, passed away. One of our last days together was spent skiing through the park, goofing around and hitting jumps with our shirts off and our hair out. Yesterday, 13 years later, I thought I’d do the same. RIP buddy! ????”

The two of them used to go down the mountain shirtless and have a time and that’s exactly what he’s doing here. It’s a bittersweet. Like most videos on the internet, this one doesn’t last long enough so here are a few others to supplement the original. Enjoy. RIP Hoot.