Nickolay Dodov

In March of 2012, at the age of 26, Nickolay Dodov died in an avalanche in Haines Alaska while heli-boarding with Alaska Heliskiing Company. 

Nickolay was a son, a brother, our best friend, a teammate, an artist and an encouraging teacher. A bright man who was physically strong, yet modest and humble, always with a smile and warm heart. Welcoming, with the biggest hug that would melt any girl’s heart.

A true athlete and a pioneer, with a legacy that lives on in all our hearts…

Born in Bulgaria, Nick and his family were dedicated to the mountain and ocean life. Living freely both mother, Natalia Dodov, and father, Alex Dodov, skied and snowboarded in the winters and surfed and windsurfed in the summers; passing on their passion for life and the natural elements.

Nick started skiing after taking his first steps and was skiing the whole mountain by age six. Shortly after he tried snowboarding and decided to dedicate his life to it. Racing around the gates on hard plate bindings, he was a member of the Bulgarian National Junior Team. After moving to the United States at age twelve, Nick continued to compete in the Junior World Cup in Telluride, Co., also in the Tahoe Snowboard Series, the US National Championship and he qualified for the US Open.

Growing with the sport, Nick found new passion in freestyle and slopestyle… sticking his favorite method off any cliff, jibbing in the park or finding fresh powder turns; Nick was stoked! He spent the past ten years in the serenity of the backcountry with friends, snowmobiling and split boarding with care and safety for all adventuring with him.

Nick was also an amazing artist and stylist, with a pallet full of canary yellow, turquois blue and bright white. Painting on canvas with bold, bright and graphic art that still touches all his friends and family today.

In the mountains or on the beach Nick was a shining light with a great passion for life. Thank you Nick for being an inspiration to us and living a life all could aspire to. We will see you on the mountains and in the ocean!