Toronto (ON), Canada – Nik Zoricic’s father was an alpine ski racing coach when he moved to Canada with his family from the former Yugoslavia in the 1980s. Predag “Bebe” Zoricic, therefore, is convinced that his son’s death on a World Cup Ski Cross course in Grindelwald, Switzerland in March isn’t the freak accident it has been portrayed as.

Predag Zoricic, his wife Silvia Brudar and their daughter, Katarina, all appeared at a news conference in Toronto today with their attorney, Timothy Danson. The family says that they’d prefer to avoid a lawsuit over Nik Zoricic’s death if authorities would conduct what they consider to be a full and impartial investigation into the incident.

Danson told reporters at the news conference that the course design in Grindelwald was a “death trap.” Zoricic flew wide off a jump near the finish line and landed in safety netting.

In a letter dated Monday sent to Gian Franco Kasper, president of the International Skiing Federation (FIS), as well as Alpine Canada president Max Gartner, Danson wrote, “Silvia and Bebe have now had an opportunity to reflect on the circumstances of their son’s death and have reached the conclusion that there must be much more to Nik’s life than his untimely death. After considerable and careful review, investigation and consultation with many members of the Alpine community, it is clear that Nik’s death was entirely avoidable. It is wrong that an elite athlete like Nik can make a perfect landing, but miss the finish line by one meter and be killed for it. A comparison of the finish line from any World Cup Alpine event anywhere in the world, with the finish line at Grindelwald, reveals a deeply disturbing picture. As you know, unlike other courses, the spill zone in Grindelwald was non-existent in the race that killed Nik.”

The letter concludes with a call to the FIS and Alpine Canada to fully investigate Zoricic’s fatal accident with the objective of accountability and skier safety.

“While it is Silvia’s and Bebe’s strong desire to avoid litigation, that does not mean the required investigation will not identify specific negligence or reveal a level of extraordinary negligence, incompetence or even indifference. It just means that if an independent, objective and transparent investigation is agreed to, the litigation option will be taken off the table.”

The FIS has already deemed Zoricic’s death “a terrible, tragic accident.” In response to Wednesday’s news conference, Gartner released a statement that read in part, “Our thoughts and support continue to be with Nik’s family and loved ones. Nik’s death has been a tremendous loss for the family, our team and the ski community. Alpine Canada shares the same desire as Nik’s family to learn any lessons from this tragic accident. There is presently an investigation underway by the Swiss police and state authorities; Alpine Canada plans to thoroughly review the findings of the investigation.

“Alpine Canada is also working with the International Ski Federation (FIS) to try to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future and will actively participate in the FIS ski cross advisory group which includes alpine-skiing specialists and snowboard experts,” Gartner continued. “This group will be reviewing ski cross rules, specifications and processes as part of their post- season evaluation.”

The FIS is expected to appoint a panel to examine skicross safety when the group convenes for its annual congress next month in South Korea.