Action sports star, DC Shoes founder Ken Block dies in snowmobiling accident at age 55

Kenneth Block, a renowned motorsports star known for his stunt driving skills, was killed Monday in a snowmobile accident, authorities in Utah said. He was 55.

Block was snowmobiling with a group but was alone when he flipped over, according to a statement from the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office.

He was riding “on a steep slope when the snowmobile upended, landing on top of him,” the sheriff’s office said. “He was pronounced deceased at the scene from injuries sustained in the accident.”

The accident occurred at about 2 p.m. Monday in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest near Block’s Park City, Utah, home.

Block was also known for establishing Hoonigan Racing, a stunt driving team that expanded to an apparel company. In 1994 he co-founded skateboarding and snowboarding footwear company DC Shoes, selling it to Quicksilver for $84 million in 2004 and pivoting to motorsports, where he gained fame as a rally car driver.

He went on to win numerous X Games medals as well as compete in motocross, snowboarding, skateboarding and other action sports. He earned Rally America’s Rookie of the Year award in 2005.

Block’s YouTube stunt-driving videos, which he began posting in 2008, have received more than a billion views collectively. ESPN said he “revolutionized action sports marketing and motorsports filmmaking.”

Hoonigan confirmed the athlete’s death in a statement.

“It’s with our deepest regrets that we can confirm that Ken Block passed away in a snowmobile accident,” the team said. “Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. And most importantly, a father and husband. He will be incredibly missed.”

Fellow athletes echoed the sentiment.

“Ken was a legend in his ability to take a vision and make it a reality,” Block’s Nitro RallyCross series teammate Steve Arpin told ESPN. “He created an industry.”

With News Wire Services