The American alpine skiing community is mourning the loss of former speed skier TJ Lanning, who died on July 2nd in Park City, Utah. Lanning was a top-ranked junior in the world in slalom and super-G in 2001 and went on to ski for Team USA at the 2007 World Championships in Sweden, while also racing to three top-10 results, including a ninth-place finish in downhill at Lake Louise, Canada, in November 2008.
Lanning’s racing career came to an end following a crash at Lake Louise in November 2009. After his retirement, Lanning went on to work with the U.S. Ski Team as a speed skiing coach.
A Gathering to Celebrate the Life of Thomas “TJ” Lanning is planned for August 29, 2026, at Snow Park Lodge in Park City, UT beginning at 1:00 p.m. MDT. The following is a statement from U.S. Ski & Snowboard honoring the life of TJ.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard:
Remembering TJ Lanning
Thomas Jay Richard Lanning “TJ,” age 41, passed away on July 2, 2026, in Park City, Utah.
TJ was born on August 27, 1984, in Helena, Montana, to Thomas Lee Lanning and Debra Brink Lanning. He was raised in Park City, Utah, beginning in 1986.
TJ was a loving father to two beautiful children, Charlie Isabella Lanning and Thomas Cru Lanning, both of Park City. Outside of spending time with his kids and family, TJ devoted his life to skiing, more specifically, ski racing. He spent more than two decades with the U.S. Ski Team, first as an athlete and later as a coach. During his racing career, he made 42 World Cup starts, 49 European Cup starts, and three World Championship appearances, earning the title of U.S. National Downhill Champion, along with many other accomplishments. As a coach, he shared his knowledge, experience, and passion for the sport with the next generation. His career in skiing touched countless lives around the world.
TJ will be remembered for his larger-than-life personality, his loyalty, and his willingness to always speak his mind. If you were his friend, you knew he would stand by you when it mattered most. He pushed his skiing to, and sometimes beyond, the thin red line, and he brought that same intensity to every part of his life, making his presence felt wherever he went.
He cared deeply for the people he loved and always wished he could make life easier for those around him. He gave of himself, and often expected more of himself than anyone else did.
His life reminds us that strength and vulnerability are not opposites, they often exist in the very same heart. Like all of us, he was wonderfully and imperfectly human. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
TJ is survived by his children, Charlie and Cru; his parents, Thomas and Debra; his brother and sister in-law, AL and Jessie; his niece, Claire; his nephew, Wyatt; and many beloved aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
A Gathering to Celebrate the Life of Thomas “TJ” Lanning is planned for August 29, 2026, at Snow Park Lodge in Park City, UT beginning at 1:00 p.m. MDT.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in TJ’s honor to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Mental Health & Return-to-Performance program.
His story reminds us to celebrate strength, to recognize vulnerability, and to care deeply for one another.
