Holden Parazette’s family is demanding answers after the champion skier drowned in a California hot tub.
The 26-year-old from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, died July 9 in Huntington Beach, and the circumstances surrounding the tragedy remain under investigation by the local coroner’s office. His parents, Andy and Danielle Parazette, revealed their son drowned in a hot tub and said drugs and alcohol did not play a role in his death. The investigation into Parazette’s death remains ongoing.
Parazette had spent much of his life on the slopes, joining the Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club at age 6 and eventually becoming an elite racer. After graduating high school in 2018, he won a U19 giant slalom championship race at the Junior Nationals the following year before going on to ski at Middlebury College in Vermont. He graduated from Middlebury with a degree in physics in February 2024 before attending the University of Utah, where he pursued a master’s in mechanical engineering and worked with the ski team.
The University of Utah Ski Team remembered Parazette for his “unforgettable laugh” and ability to keep things in perspective.
“Once a Ute, always a Ute,” the team wrote in a tribute.
Behind his accomplishments was a hardworking young man dedicated to his family’s Jackson Hole community since he was a baby, his parents told the Jackson Hole News & Guide. Even after becoming a championship skier, Parazette remained remarkably unfazed by his own success.
“At the end of the day, it’s about having fun and doing what you like,” he told the News & Guide after his 2019 Junior Nationals victory. “And it seems pretty cliche, but for me, it’s just that I’m skiing.”
His family described him as an intellectual introvert who was intensely curious, comfortable in his own skin, and constantly challenged those around him to consider another point of view.
“Holden was a deep thinker, and for a young man, all the things that he did and experienced, he was definitely comfortable with himself,” Danielle said. “He was not your typical teenager.”
After graduating, he traveled around the world, but remained especially close to his brothers. When his brother Noah left for college, Parazette sent him a note saying: “You’re the man. Keep making good friends and calculated bad decisions. Don’t forget to have fun at college, and I’m always a phone call away.”
“He was Holden, no matter what,” Noah told the outlet. “He wouldn’t change, but he would also try to form a connection with every single person he met.”
In the viral moment that has since drawn national attention, a promising young athlete’s mysterious death in a hot tub has left his stunned family waiting for answers. The circumstances of how Parazette drowned remain unclear, and his parents have publicly pushed for clarity as the investigation continues.
The local coroner’s office has not released additional details about the ongoing investigation.