Another sad day (and a message about Facebook)
I don’t know why but my blog seems to have turned into a bit of a downer lately, with news of tragic deaths and stories about those who’ve lost loved ones (it’s been a rough year in skiing, that’s for sure). And well, I bring you a few more tragic stories today. Devon O’Neil recently wrote a touching piece for ESPN Freeskiing on Angel Collinson, the girlfriend of Ryan Hawks, who died at the contest I was covering in February at Kirkwood. His story captivated me in many ways—because I was there that day of Ryan’s accident and because I understand and respect where Angel’s coming from. And then yesterday, I heard the news that Kip Garre, the “humble hero” of Squaw Valley and a ski mountaineer and guide was killed in an avalanche this week, along with his girlfriend Allison. Kip was one of the most knowledgeable and experienced backcountry skiers out there and for this to happen to him just reminds me, again, that the mountains take no pity on us. In all their majesty, they can be cruel and unforgiving. I hold Tahoe in a special place in my heart and I’m definitely thinking of Kip and Allison’s friends and family right now.
Also, as a sidenote, I’ve decided that the post-mortem Facebook posting has become an eerie human behavior in our modern age. I understand that people are grieving and they want to send their love into the collective space and there’s probably no better option for that than to post comments on our lost friends’ Facebook pages. But it still kind of weirds me out to see people writing messages to friends, as if ghosts linger around the Internet reading Twitter. So, that’s why I’m stating it here, loud and clear on a blog that nobody reads: When I die, hopefully peacefully and many long years from now, think of me fondly floating around the mountains. But do not, I beg of you, write notes to me on Facebook. I’m not going to hang around to read them.
