Gus Kenworthy honored his late childhood friend in a beautiful way on Monday, March 25.
The decorated Olympian paid tribute to his best buddy Hoot Brown by doing something they did days before his unfortunate passing many years ago.
“On March 24th, 2006, my childhood best friend, Hoot Brown, passed away,” Gus wrote on his Instagram. “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. 13 years later I thought I’d do the same. RIP buddy!”
Gus shared an Instagram clip of him (and his bright pink hair) skiing in Laax, Switzerland, as a way to honor Hoot.
Fellow Olympians like Lolo Jones and his boyfriend Matt Wilkas commended him for doing this.
Hoot (real name Brooks) died on March 24, 2006 after he hitched a ride with a Snowcat (enclosed-cab, truck-sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to move on snow) near Air Garden, the Telluride Ski Area Terrain Park. He fell off the Snowcat and sustained serious injuries that eventually led to his death later on that night. He was 16 years old.