Snow fell gracefully, stars illuminated the night sky and 20 thousand people stood completely silent. At the Winter X-Games in Aspen, spectators honored legendary freestyle skier Sarah Burke who passed away last week due to skiing-related injuries. Burke was a pioneer of her sport, propelling freestyle skiing to an Olympic sport. After the moment of silence, several X-Games athletes lit candles and walked through the massive freestyle half-pipe at the the base of Aspen mountain, a beautiful display of respect for a comrade lost in battle.

It was a moment that made a uncontrollable crowd realize that extreme sports are exactly that – a test of human capabilities that can sometimes go awry.

Although the Winter X-Games are about groundbreaking tricks, incredible winter atmosphere and drunken tom-foolery, Sarah Burke is a reminder that the athletes competing in the X-Games risk their lives to achieve greatness.