The Skiing World Mourns: Thomas Lanning Dies at Age 41

The skiing world is mourning the passing of Thomas “TJ” Lanning, a former U.S. skier who retired in 2009 due to numerous injuries sustained during his career. At this time, the cause of Lanning’s death has not been disclosed, but his passing has been confirmed by the U.S. team.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of TJ Lanning, a former skier and coach for the U.S. team, whose impact on our sport extended far beyond his active competitive career,” reads the statement released by the U.S. team.

A native of Park City, the skier began his international career in FIS races in 1999, making his debut the following year in the Nor-Am Cup and in 2002 in the World Cup, always in the giant slalom discipline. Over the years, he gradually achieved excellent results on the continental circuit, earning his first Nor-Am Cup podium finish in 2006 at Hunter Mountain and his last in 2008 at Whiteface Mountain in the super-G.

2007 marked his only appearance at the World Championships in Åre, where he competed in three different disciplines, with a 20th-place finish in the super combined as his best result. During the same period, he also enjoyed his best seasons on the major circuits: in 2008, he secured both his only career podium finish in the European Cup—a victory—and his best-ever World Cup finish, placing ninth in the downhill at Lake Louise.

That very Canadian course served as the backdrop for his final competition in November 2009, before his definitive retirement midway through the 2009–2010 season, which concluded with a personal best that saw him reach his highest-ever rankings: 44th in the European Cup in 2008 and 66th in the World Cup in 2009.