The outdoor industry paid tribute to Alex Pashley, a global sports marketing manager at The North Face and longtime VF Corp. employee, who died alongside two other well-known friends in the skiing and snowboarding industry in an avalanche on Monday. A fourth member of their group is in critical condition, according to the Vancouver Sun newspaper.
Snowboarder Jeff Keenan, 44, cofounded the Whistler-based brand Dinosaurs Will Die. Jason Remple, a 53-year-old guide who co-founded Stellar Heli Skiing in Kaslo, B.C., with his wife, Kerry, also died in the avalanche. Pashley, who was based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, was 45.
“We’re heartbroken to share the loss of our friend and colleague,” reads a post on The North Face’s Instagram account. “Alex Pashley’s curiosity and kindness left a mark on everyone who had the privilege of working, riding, and running alongside him.”
View this post on Instagram
“Pashley was an explorer to his core: As a photographer, he captured the nuances that transform a good story into a great one, and was celebrated and showcased across major snowboard publications,” continued The North Face’s post. “And he loved being on a board just as much as being behind the lens, building community through deep powder and big lines.
“Always quick with a joke, a penguin suit, and a boogie board—and team Polaris through and through—Pashley brought an irreplaceable sense of levity to the most difficult expeditions. His search for adventure will forever guide us.
“We send condolences to the families, friends, teammates, and communities impacted by this tragedy. Our hearts are with Pashley’s wife Erin, his family and his beloved Bernese Mountain Dogs, Dale and Rainer.”
Kind words poured in from brand accounts such as Arc’teryx, Burton, K2 Skis, and more.
“Such a legend and an incredible ambassador of what it means to live, breathe and be snowboarding,” wrote the Burton account. “Our heart goes out to Pashley’s family, friends and everyone he had an impact on along the way.”
“Sending all our love to The North Face community, friends and family close to Alex,” wrote the Arc’teryx account. “What a loss to the industry and beyond. Our hearts are with you.”
Keenan’s partner and TNF athlete Leanne Pelosi shared a tribute to him on Instagram, and described the harrowing experience of arriving to the avalanche site in the Clute Creek watershed and attempting to revive her husband after digging him out of the snow, reported Snowboarder.
“It was awful arriving to an avalanche scene with no one on top. 4 buried people. Go,” Pelosi wrote. “I ended up digging you out. F–king brutal but what a gift to see you one last time.”
View this post on Instagram
Keenan is also survived by his son, Khyber.
“I’m forever grateful to eternity for the depth of love I got to experience,” Pelosi wrote. “20+ years of pure love and adventure before welcoming our first child.”
