Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke died Thursday morning after spending nine days in intensive care because of a superpipe training accident in Park City, Utah.

The 29-year-old was pronounced dead at 9:22 a.m. at the University of Utah Hospital surrounded by her family, husband and coach, according to Canadian Freestyle Ski Association CEO Peter Judge.

Doctors determined that Burke sustained irreversible brain damage after going into cardiac arrest from a crash on Jan. 10 during training for the upcoming Winter X Games.

Judge said Burke was well within her ability when she attempted a trick that she had landed many times before and the snow was in good condition when she fell.

"To lose a role model like Sarah is a very difficult thing," said Judge. "She has been somebody who has been very exemplary in who she was as a person and also what she represented inside of her sport."

Judge said it will be difficult to replace her on the Canadian ski team, not only for her exemplary skill but for the caring person that she was.

"Sarah was always a very tenacious girl, always wanting to stand in the face of adversity and say ‘why not?' I think her spirit will live on once they are able to collect themselves and relive that spirit," he said.

In the deadly fall, Burke ruptured a vertebral artery, one of four supplying blood to the brain, and she went into cardiac arrest. Emergency personnel administered CPR on the scene but she remained without a pulse and could not breathe on her own.

She was airlifted to hospital and put on life support when doctors detected brainstem function.

The artery was repaired in surgery the following day but because of the cardiac arrest, she did not receive enough oxygen to the brain and was unable to recover.

The Canadian Freestyle Ski Association also noted that as Burke wished, her organs and tissues were donated to save the lives of others.

The four-time Winter X Games champion was considered a gold medal contender for the 2014 Olympic Games.

Canadian Olympic committee president Marcel Aubut said in a release that Burke was a true leader and champion that will never be forgotten.

"Sarah was a true inspiration to all who had the privilege to know her," Aubut said. "Especially to the new generation of athletes in this country as she helped define the superpipe discipline in the sport of freestyle skiing."

Burke's family told the ski association that they wished to express their gratitude for the support they have received through the week from friends and fans worldwide.

The Facebook fan page of the Barrie, Ont. native listed a lifetime of athletic achievements and is now filled with an overwhelming number of condolences from fans who were touched by the skier's life.

Burke's boundary-pushing spirit, as referred to by the ski association and fans alike, is apparent in the outpouring of comments that remember her as a sporting pioneer in women's athletics and superpipe skiing.

In a Ski Channel feature film with her husband Rory Bushfield, Burke had said she was happiest on the slopes.

"It's where we met, it's where we play, we live…" Burke said.

Bushfield replied, "and hopefully where we die."

"And where we die," she nodded in response.