So sorry MW. Keep getting the pain out as best you can.
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So sorry MW. Keep getting the pain out as best you can.
Yeah, I certainly didn't mean to imply that he was being reckless. I see Reed's death as much more analogous to Craig Patterson's--been there a zillion times, knew the safe route and zones, no intention of skiing the slope that slid, but literally took one step too far. That's what makes the familiarity trap so insidious.Quote:
Originally Posted by mall walker
I’m so sad to read about this. Losing a partner is unfair when good ones are in such short supply. This is a brutal reminder of the fragility of life in the mountains, of
course, but also anywhere. We simply never know. Wishing you and his family peace. May his memory always be a blessing.
sorry to hear, RIP Reed
RIP Reed
Appreciated sharing a skin track with ya the few times we got out and exchanging beta throughout the years. Fucking bummed to read your name.
Condolences to your family and friends.
So sorry to hear this, RIP Reed.
So sad to hear it was Reed. His beautiful lines will definitely be missed in the Wasatch.
He couldn't possibly be related to the guy who was caught in Little Willow 25 years ago? That would be unbelievably tragic.
RIP Reed. MW my condolences. I sent you a pm and I’ll talk with the patrollers to see if they’d be available to speak with you.
Sorry to hear of you loss. Always hard, losing a partner in the mountains, and sounds like he was a super supportive, amazing human.
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Rip in peace brother.
This means the whole world to me, and I suspect it will to Jackson as well. And who else could it have been that went and brought him home other than Alta trollers.Quote:
Originally Posted by altacoup
Now it's time for us mountain people to circle the wagons and wrap our arms around Reed's wife and kids, and show them what happens when we have a man down.
Yeah. I mean, I spent as least as much time alone in Porter Fork as Reed did (when I lived there). This could have been me a hundred times over. And he and I often talked about life and death in the mountains, and Reed was (as many experienced mountain travelers are) thoughtful, humble, philosophical, accepting of the great risk in exchange for the great reward of living in, and moving through, the mountains.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dantheman
E: Reed was on Dav in SF, not Porter
Hey mags, when we get the details on the celebration of life, does anyone have a couch or spare room my wife Katy and I can crash on for a couple days, or even just a day (we can bounce around)? We don't drink or do drugs (we do blaze herb but won't disrespect your home with it unless you partake, in which case I have a dope housewarming present for you), we're pretty quiet and self-sufficient, and extremely respectful. We're both parents. A couple mags were the witnesses at our wedding actually.
I am deadass broke for hotel money right now, so if it isn't putting anyone out, that would be dope. I mean we can crash literally anywhere, I'd just have us sleep in my truck but we're flying. I don't know the exact dates yet, and I have airline miles leftover from my old life to get us there and back. And we can take the bus/train/ubers to get around. But some kinda indoors space with even a little floor space we could conk on would be super rad.
edit: well that didn't take long. This place always blows my mind. Thanks Triungulate. Much love
(finally read the prelim UAC report) I realize now Reed passed on Dav, and was not the one in Main Porter, my sincere apologies for that confusion. I'll edit those posts of mine.
Silver Fork was Reed's zone. Buried 20 feet deep. I think he would laugh a little, and smile, about that. I hope so. It was just his time. Like if you had to ask me, if it had to happen, and I'd tell you In Between up in Porter, I bet you Reed would have said Dav. No way was he looking for it to happen, I still fully believe he just got too close, or else just judged it wrong. (If he dropped it, he had a reason). But if you asked him if it had to happen where he wanted it to be, for sure he'd have said somewhere up there: Dav, Flanigans, East Bowl, Grizzly. That was his favorite zone.
Thinking about this more, that zone is not super steep or scary (or anyway we don't treat it that way as a community), but when it goes it's a hellish terrain trap. No chance of surviving a full-path slide in there, and everybody who skis that zone knows it. Reed sure as shit knew it for years. And Dav really may have been his favorite line, or if not his very favorite, among his very favorites. In blower snow, a full path 20' debris pile ripper, he would have known instantly what was going to happen. And I really do think he was at genuine peace with all of it at the end.
I'm laughing now thinking about evening texts with Reed where we'd debate where to tour in the morning. He always wanted to ski Dav (or East Bowl or Flanigans or Grizzly etc), and I was always kind of a bitch about parking in LCC, so we usually skied Porter or something in BCC. But we had a few days up there I'll never forget. Reed and Sfotex showed me Silver Fork (at different times).
Knowing it was that deep also means there would never have been anything I could have done. I would have probably died digging him out, and we just both would have been dead. So I can let that guilt go.
Shit. 20' deep on Dav for Reed is almost beautiful in a way. If it had to happen in the mountains, I cannot think of a more fitting exit.
Feels like Reed kinda nudged me to read that UAC report tonight, and I can see him smirking under his goggles a little. Snow's better on that side I guess.
Just reading this now. So much is shared with a partner. Saying a prayer for you, his family and all who loved him.
For Reed's family
Reed is a diligent student of the snowpack, always. He and I are always very conservative in our decision-making in the mountains, and we are also creatures of habit: we have certain zones in the range that we hit regularly, throughout the season, to develop and maintain a knowledge of the snowpack in that zone. My choice when I lived there was Porter Fork, and when we skied together we skied Porter a lot because parking two cars in upper Little Cottonwood can be kind of an adventure, and anyway I used to be a little bit of a whiner about parking up there and Reed always just did what I wanted to do, because that’s who he is. But Reed’s zone is upper Silver Fork: East Bowl, Davenport Hill, Flanigans, Grizzly Gulch. We both skied alone a lot back then, and we did our homework. Reed went even further than I did, he would hike up Silver Fork in boots or even sneakers when only the upper bowl held snow and take photos of the places where the old rotten snow was, and where the snow had melted out. Those fully melted out zones would be safe to ski when new snow fell on them. I always appreciated when he did that, because it was the only way to safely ski that stuff much of the early season. When you have a zone like that, that you hit all the time, you know it so well, it feels like home. You know every tree, every rock, every roll of the terrain. You have names in your head for some of the things, some of the trees. I had the Wizard Tree at the top of In Between. Reed had something up in the line called East Bowl somewhere that I can’t remember right now. But Silver Fork is Reed’s spot, and it feels like home. You love being in those zones. Another one of Reed’s zones is the East Face of Reynolds. It’s sweet in early season snow, but dangerous unless you do your homework. He wanted to ski it one day, and I was very reluctant because of the avalanche hazard. Reed showed me a picture from a day or two before the storm however, and sure enough he had scouted a line we could do safely. He shows me a picture he took one or two days before, just before the last storm, and there’s old snow on the face, and nothing on the shoulder, and we go and ski the shoulder. I have pictures from that day. It was brutally cold, 3F or so, but we had an amazing time, doing something we only could have done because of how safe and prepared Reed was that day. I can’t tell you what Reed feels like when he’s in one of his zones, only he can tell you that. But I can tell you what I feel like when I’m in one of my zones. I feel comforted, watched and guarded by the trees and the cliff bands. I feel soft and close to God. When it’s snowing in those bowls, even when it’s blowing on the ridges, down in the bowls it’s often still and peaceful and quiet. Your steps are soft in the new snow. You’re warm from the movement of climbing and skiing. There is a rhythm and a flow and a quiet music to traveling in the mountains. My zones up in Porter Fork are my favorite places on earth to be, and if you asked me at any moment if I would like to be transported to them, in the winter, in deep snow, in my full ski gear, I would always say yes. And if you asked me, if I had to die in the mountains, where would I want it to be? I would tell you In Between, up in Porter Fork, or one of those lines. And Reed would tell you Dav, or something else in upper Silver Fork. Reed was at home when he passed. Reed is home.
https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com...SYUDc6nH5kQjGU
This is East Bowl (Davenport Hill aka Dav would be to the left in the photograph) in one of those early season scenarios. This specific day I was following Reed on faith and a photograph, as I often did. He knew this area inside out, tree for tree, and on this day at this point he decided it wasn’t safe to go any further or higher. So we transitioned, never complaining, just stoked to be outside and ski some awesome snow, and I followed Reed down to the bottom of the bowl. I followed his tracks even, trying to make eights, because I knew he knew the terrain that well. I knew he would pick both a safe line and a rad line, and of course he did.
https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com...SYUDc6nH5kQjGU
This is the line just skiers right of the East Face of Reynolds (the shoulder). Reed showed me the picture he had taken the day before the storm, which he had hiked up there in running shoes (lol), because no way was I gonna go up there in those conditions. But he had done his homework, as always. That exact situation doesn't happen all season and I'm not saying it happened here, because I haven't been familiar with the snowpack or read the final UAC report or anything. But this is characteristic of the backcountry traveler and dude Reed was. He did absolutely everything he could to be safe and to come home to his family, every time. And we talked about what we would do in a solo burial situation, since we both toured a lot solo back then. And he said it first, he said he would just calmly accept it and think about his family. That hadn't been my first thought, but it was definitely the right thought, and I agreed with him. That's a real conversation we had, up in West Porter (where I wanted to go of course, because Reed is a selfless friend and always offered to go to my spots first) one morning before dawn, and I remember it distinctly and I always will. And that’s also the kind of guy Reed was. He’s the only person I personally know who put the effort in to go scout lines without skis like that, except for Bob Athey, the Wizard of the Wasatch, who also skis with Reed. And Reed would go scout these lines, and then share them with me, and we would ski them safely. That’s a really awesome, generous thing to do, and Reed was just always that friend to me. Bob Athey has the reputation for being kind of grumpy, but he skied with Reed a lot too, including a couple days before he passed, and I know he is just as gutted as me. I know he loves Reed too. It is hard not to love Reed.
The preliminary UAC report says Reed was buried 20’ deep. That’s extremely deep, and there is no way a single person could have dug him out. When I first learned of Reed’s passing, I mistook the specific avalanche in question for a different one with different circumstances, and I was feeling a lot of guilt that I wasn’t there with him, because I thought I could have dug him out. But in this case, there is nothing I could have done for Reed. I would have died trying, and we both would have died. So for me, that allows me to let go of a little bit of the guilt I have for not having been with Reed that day. I still feel tremendously guilty, and I’d give anything to have been with him. And we can talk about the mechanics of avalanche recovery at some point if you want, or you can read about it. I truly believe Reed knew the second the slope ripped that he was probably going to die, and as soon as he was buried that was certainly going to die. And he immediately accepted it, and started thinking about you guys, and spent his last hours or minutes or seconds just thinking about his family and praying, because we talked about it, and that’s what he said he would do. No matter how safe you are, across all avenues of life, we all pass on. Reed is the safest person I’ve ever toured with. If God had to take Reed, at least he took him in his favorite place, in blower snow, in peace. That gives me real comfort, and I hope it gives you some comfort too. I can almost see Reed smiling a little under his goggles, saying “hey man at least it was Dav!” or something. I’ve been just sitting here this evening looking at pictures of times we’ve spent together and thinking these things, and it really has felt like Reed’s been here with me too.
With love,
Mark Billie
Good thing is he got found and didn't stay missing till spring melt out.
Attachment 509182
Closure. RIP
Reading that really paints a picture of how generous and how dialed in he was. A fitting tribute to a good friend and ski partner. I hope you and his family and his other friends find some peace as you mourn his passing while also celebrating his life and his passion for the mountains.
What a beautiful job on that UAC write up and video. I’m crying again but it’s a lot less painful. RIP buddy.
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https://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanche/90771
Thank you so much of those pictures of Reed's last line. The amount of peace and closure that I get from that is unspeakable. I hope to share that with his family, if God makes me able to. RIP buddy.
RIP Reed. MW so sorry. I lost my best friend and touring partner of 25 years 4 years ago. I really struggled with it, quit skiing, etc. Actually ended up in a therapists office for the first time in my life. Was in therapy for a year. These last two years I've been forcing myself to ski again. Went up to Beaver last year to ski with mags. I went backcountry skiing for the first time in a long time, it felt really good. I'm at an age though where I don't know how to navigate finding partners anymore. A good partner, lifelong friend, is simply irreplaceable, it still hurts every single day. May you find peace going forward. Take care.
https://www.facebook.com/niaiserie/p...B7caSZ2SLiwNJl
some more polished words
Celebration of life will be 1/30. I will be out before then for the funeral, but that'll be the big event.
So sorry MW, glad you’re going to make the trip out to share space in the mountains with your tribe. Peace
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