ASPEN, Colo. - Sarah Burke's friends took a slow trip down a darkened halfpipe at the Winter X Games on Thursday, saying goodbye to the Canadian skier who helped push their sports to the heights they are today.
At the bottom, those friends embraced Burke's family, still mourning a week after the 29-year-old freestyle skier's death. The native of Midland, Ont., a pioneer in freestyle skiing, died from injuries suffered during a training accident earlier this month.
It was a touching tribute in front of a silent crowd -- beginning with a video remembrance of Burke's life played on the big screens across the venue.
Burke was a four-time X Games champion in skiing superpipe and lobbied to get that sport in the Olympics, where it will debut in 2014.
