HUNTSVILLE, Utah (ABC 4 Sports) - Legendary freestyle skier Sarah Burke, who died after a tragic ski accident in Park City last month, was honored and remembered by her friends and competitors as the Winter Dew Tour kicked off at Snowbasin Resort.
Burke, who won the womens freestyle superpipe competition at Snowbasin in 2010, would have competed this weekend. But her name was still everywhere, on the athletes' helmets, skis, and other equipment.
"To this sport, she was a great athlete, but an even better person," said freestyle skier Maddie Bowman.
"She was everything," said fellow freestyle skier Devin Logan. "She got us to where we are today."
Where the sport is today is in the Olympics. Burke was instrumental in getting womens freestyle superpipe skiing into the Winter Games. It will be a part of the Olympics for the first time ever in 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
"We can't thank her enough," said Bowman. "To get it into the Olympics is so motivating. It is a tough sport and it deserves to be in the Olympics. It's just pushing everyone and we're all so enthusiastic about it."
"It's a dream come true," added Logan. "I want to see girls push the sport more. I want to see girls doing doubles just like the boys. We're just as good as them."
The superpipe is getting bigger, and the tricks are getting crazier. But these skiers know the risks involved and are taking the necessary precautions to keep them as safe as possible.
"It's really, really sad what happened," said Dew Tour mens leader Kevin Rolland. "But, it's an accident. It's not the sport. The sport is not that dangerous. We train a lot."
"We know what we're getting into," said Logan. "We're going big and flipping and accidents do happen. But, the sport is the safest it's been. We have airbag training now, so we can flip and learn things and not get hurt. We wear so much padding just to take precautions. I think it's the safest it's ever been. I don't know if it can get any safer."
So while Sarah Burke isn't competing, her memory and influence live on.
"Everything is dedicated [to her] and always will be," Logan said. "We just want to live on her dreams her legacies and not let them die with her."
