Westford skier lived on the edge
Daredevil killed at competition
Barreling down a 40-degree grade at blinding speed Friday afternoon, John Nicoletta, 27, flew off a 20-foot cliff the way he had done countless times before. But this time, the accomplished freestyle skier lost control as he landed, and he hurtled head over heels 100 feet down the rocky Alaskan mountain.
The Westford native died in the fall at Alyeska Resort during the world championship competition, which was aired live on the Internet.
The next morning, mourners gathered on an Alaskan ridgeline and a peak in the Colorado Rockies to pay tribute to Nicoletta, who moved to Aspen, Colo., four years ago to pursue his lifelong passion for skiing.
"He was following his dream," his father, Stephen, said in a phone interview from his Westford home yesterday.
Nicoletta was an adventurous but gentle spirit who loved the thrill and beauty of big-mountain skiing but also cherished the quiet comforts of friends and family.
"He loved the mountains," his father said. "The air, the snow, the woods; he loved it all."
Nicoletta's death deeply saddened the close-knit skiing community in Aspen, where he worked as a bartender and was a popular presence in town and on the most difficult slopes. A wake and funeral will be held this week in Massachusetts.
From age 7, Nicoletta grew up skiing at Nashoba Valley Ski Area, and as a teenager competed in freestyle competitions at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area. His love of the sport brought him to Colby College in Maine, a short drive from challenging ski areas.
Nicoletta was the 47th of 96 competitors to ski on Friday, the first day of the Freeskiing World Championships, according to the event organizer, Mountain Sports International. The ski patrol reached Nicoletta within seconds of the accident, but multiple attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, the organizer said in a press release.
The organizer described Nicoletta's death as a "deep blow to the freeskiing community."
Nicoletta finished second in the Telluride Freeskiing Open in February and had appeared in several ski videos, Mountain Sports International said. Freeskiers earn points through daring and dramatic jumps and maneuvers along courses that are not specifically laid out.
Terry Kadel, assistant emergency medical services chief for the Girdwood Fire Department, saw the fatal fall on a television screen as he was picking up lunch, and immediately knew it was extremely serious.
"He took a 20-foot-plus jump and didn't stick the landing, so he went head over heels," he recalled. "He basically tomahawked down the mountain."
Kadel said that Nicoletta was skiing a path that other competitors had taken, but that even a slight misstep at those speeds can be catastrophic.
"There's no room for error at that terrain," he said.
Kadel said he and other emergency personnel responded within three minutes, but that Nicoletta had died by the time help arrived.
On Saturday, competitors held a ceremony on top of Mount Alyeska to honor Nicoletta. Afterward, entrants from Aspen skied down together in tribute. In Aspen, more than 200 friends, skiers and nonskiers alike, gathered Saturday morning at the top of Mount Aspen to honor a life well lived, friends said.
"I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate his life," said Zach Ornitz, a sports photographer in Aspen who shot pictures of Nicoletta skiing. "He was the warmest guy, he was so full of life. He lived in the now, and you could see in his eye how happy he was with his life."
Nicoletta was part of a fellowship of people who come to Aspen for its simple, casual lifestyle and natural beauty, and fully embraced that life.
"He chose to work at night, so he could play during the day," Ornitz said. "It's about chasing that feeling."
"You couldn't help but like Johnny Nicoletta," he added.
Nicoletta's father said his son had a sunny, upbeat personality and many close friends, and was a devoted brother to his two younger sisters.
"He would light up a room when he came in," he said. "He was just a great, great kid."
He also said that family members - including Nicoletta's mother, Elizabeth, and sisters Denise, 24, and Adele, 22 - are devastated by the loss.
"We were all very close," he added. "This is so hard for all of us." 