April 10, 2003 -- Robert Knight Young died on April 7, 2003 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico at the age of 51 after fighting cancer for several years.
He was born in Brigham City, Utah in 1951, but grew up in Ogden. He graduated from Ogden High School and was an honor student at Weber State College.
Robert was well known as an extreme skier and was a pioneer in the sport of freestyle skiing. He was the World Grand Prix aerial champion and the US National Aerial Champion in 1975. That same year Skiing Magazine called Robert "One of the most well liked and highly respected competitors on the pro tour."
During his professional career, he won 6 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medals in World Cup competition. Robert performed stunts in dozens of movies including as James Bond's double in the famous ski scene in The Spy Who Loved Me; he was featured in six Warren Miller films. He frequently appeared on ABC"s Wide World of Sports and other national sports programs. He was the freestyle skiing winner of the 1976 CBS television Superstars Challenge of the Sexes.
Robert was known to ski off balconies, over rooftops and across crevasses. He outskied avalanches, skied down the Swiss Olympic bobsled course, and jumped out of the aerial tram at Snowbird.
He was a member of the Utah Ski Demonstration Team, a member of the Snowbird pro team and Director of Skiing at Brianhead. When he retired from skiing Robert sold resort real estate all over the world including at ski resorts in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico and vacation properties in Hawaii, the Canary Islands, the Virgin Islands and Mexico.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilford S. Young and Ruth K. Young of Ogden. He is survived by his sister, Carolyn Young of Portland, Oregon. A memorial service will be held in Puerto Vallarta and Snowbird, Utah. -- Obituary from the Ogden Standard-Examiner
Comments
Skiing/Friendship
I met Bob in Colorado at Keystone ski resort in the early 70s maybe 73 or 74, I was born in 1960 so that made me 13 or 14.
He took me under his wing so to say and gave me tips and showed me how to really ski, I was good but skiing with Robert took me to the next level, my father built a home in Silverthorne Co. In wilderness subdivision on buffalo Mt. He was a frequent guest in our home.
One of my best memories skiing with Bob was at Keystone at the challenge of the sexes of course Suzy chaffee was there also and (Miss Chapstick) what a woman a beautiful girl.
Im from lexington, Ky. He did some work with my father and moved to lexington, Ky. For a short time, we would go out riding in his Porsche as I showed him all the beautiful horse farms in our area, we became very good friends.
Robert was a great man a great friend and one of the greatest people I've ever had the privilege to know and be around.
Getting to ski with him was living a dream as he was one of the best skiers in the world I think his record speaks for it's self.
I will always miss him and I think of him often, the world is a lessor place without him in it as we need more people like him.
I know wherever he is he's skiing around the clock teaching anyone who asks or needs his help or wants to race him down the side of a cloud.
I miss and love you buddy my friend Robert Young.
Till we meet and ski again.
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