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Johnson, 26, was reportedly taking a run down a steep chute on the signature Light Towers when he smashed his head against a rock outcropping.
Jim Rogers, a member of the Lake Tahoe-area resort's ski patrol, told the Associated Press that Johnson was skiing with a group of friends when he fell at a "very, very tight, rocky area." Ski patrol were on the scene within minutes, but efforts to revive Johnson failed.
Johnson fell face first, then spun around and struck the back of his head on rocks, according to the AP report. He was reportedly wearing a helmet, but Rogers said the helmet took a serious blow. Rogers said that Johnson was skiing for recreation with friends and not as part of a competition.
"He's the defining person who put halfpipe skiing on the map," two-time Winter X SuperPipe champion Simon Dumont told ESPN Action Sports. "He's a huge part of how halfpipe skiing is right now."
Johnson had competed in superpipe and halfpipe skiing at the X Games and won the US Open against Tanner Hall in 2002. He was the first skier to complete a 1440 -- four complete 360 degree spins -- which he performed at his home mountain of Squaw Valley.
Scott Gaffney, co-director of Matchstick Productions and a good friend of Johnson's, told the Tahoe Daily Tribune that Johnson always had a smile on his face and a positive attitude.
"He was a pretty special person, especially after his [head] injury several years ago," Gaffney told the Tribune. "He just had the greatest outlook on life and was happy to be doing what he was doing."
In 2005, Johnson survived a life-threatening accident at Brighton resort in Utah when another skier accidentally landed on him. Johnson sustained a serious traumatic brain injury and was placed into a medically-induced coma for 10 days. Incredibly, Johnson was back in action by the end of that winter after spending several months in rehab, where he had to relearn even basic motor skills like swallowing and talking.
ESPN Action Sports reports Johnson had made steady progress in recent seasons and finished third in the prestigious Red Bull Linecatcher event in the French Alps.
Johnson was a two-time Winter X Games medalist, earning bronze in the 2001 Big Air and silver in the 2002 slopestyle.
In the below video, filmed in 2006, C.R. Johnson talks about his comeback from his 2005 accident.
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