Extreme athlete Erik Roner dies in Squaw Valley skydiving accident

Sky diver Erik Lars Roner, an MTV extreme athlete, was killed Monday when he flew into a tree during a charity golf event at Squaw Valley Monday morning, authorities said.

Roner, 39, of Tahoe City, Calif., was part of a team doing a performance for a charity golf tournament when he hit a tree and became entangled about 9:45 a.m., the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said.

Roner was pronounced dead at the scene; all other skydivers landed safely, officials said.

The accident occurred at an annual golf fundraiser for the Squaw Valley Institute in Olympic Valley.

An investigation into the accident is ongoing, and the Federal Aviation Administration has been notified, sheriff’s officials said.

Roner is a professional skier, BASE jumper and a member of the extreme sports Nitro Circus Crew, which was featured on MTV.

Witnesses described the accident.

"He hit a tree... he hit a tree so hard. I don't know what happened from there," Roy Tuscany, founder of the Lake Tahoe-based High Fives Foundation, told Teton Gravity Research.

Friends said thoughts immediate turned to his family.

"That's the most important thing that needs to resonate amongst everyone," Tuscany told Teton Gravity. "That Erik had an amazing family–two beautiful, beautiful kids and an amazing wife."

Roner was raised in Northern California and took up skiing at a young age, according to his website. He later attended Brigham Young University, where he continued to ski and graduated with a degree in graphic design.

He eventually would become a pioneer in the sport of ski BASE jumping, in which skis are used to propel off tall cliffs and a parachute is used to descend back to the ground. Roner completed jumps from mountains around the world, including in Chile, Argentina, Alaska and Europe.

Roner’s death led to an outpouring of condolences on social media from fans and other athletes.

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