The fiancé of champion ski racer Jill Kinmont, whose tragic life story was made into the inspirational hit Hollywood motion picture The Other Side of the Mountain (1975), Buek died in a plane crash at the age of 27.
[3] Known as "The Madman of Donner Summit," Buek exhibited a "go for broke" attitude that brought him success and pain in many downhill competitions.
[3] In 1949, he won the Silver Dollar Derby and the Far West Ski Association's downhill title.
[2] According to close friend Mary Ann Haswell, who survived an earlier crash into the lake with Buek, "Dick used to say he'd never make it to 28 years old."
"Dick was a dynamic person and ahead of his time in pushing the limits of extremism," recalled Haswell.