On June 11th skiers, riders, friends, and family from far and wide dropped down to Bridgeport, CA to celebrate the lives of two of the best people to ever call Tahoe home. While some folks in this group frequent the classic Dunderberg to Green Creek shuttle run from time to time, this year held a special twist. 90+ people came together on this occasion to camp, ski, and celebrate the lives of our fallen brother and sister. While there were certainly moments of sadness and reflection over the course of the weekend, there was also a lot of laughs and good memories shared to provide greater harmony to the situation. Enjoy the following photos that speak to the uncontainable energy and influence Kip and Allison had, and continue to have, on our Tahoe-Sierra backcountry community.
The top shot was shared by Glen Poulson. Tina, with the help of her horse, Dr. Robb Gaffney, was doing her best to corral the boys and keep’em honest throughout the day’s festivities. Here’s a a nice view of our intended ski objective for the day taken from the door of my tent,
and a better shot that shows the great classic Eastside run that starts down the north face of Dunderberg, continues across the flats, and ends by skiing close to 3k down to Green Creek.
As you can see in this shot Jillian and I were accompanied by quite a few friends and extended family members as we headed up towards the top of Dunderberg.
This shot reminds me of the Alaskan license plate,
and one more just before we all collected for some beautiful words and a ceremony to honor Kip, Allison, Arne Backstrom, and Katie, Wyatt, and Hannah Morrison lead by John Morrison and Dr. Robb Gaffney.
After the ceremony we all geared up for the last few hundred foot walk to the top of Dunderberg.
What a beautiful sight! Look at all these people!
Needless to say Dunderberg got shred, and everyone was feeling a high stoke factor.
Especially this dude.
We continued on by doing a short boot up and across the plateau to the top of the Green Creek Chute,
before we proceeded to lay as many tracks as we could down the long perfectly pitched run.
After our ski we all collected at the bottom of Green Creek to keep celebrating our friends,
a celebration that lasted long into the night around a big bonfire, and will continue to last with every new peak we climb and descend as the years keep passing on.
A big thanks to Glen, Wolfy, John, Robb, Emily (way to fire that shotgun!), and everyone else (all of you!) who played an integral role in making this event happen. It’s been a crazy season this year in the Sierra with lots of highs and lots of lows, but one thing’s for sure, we have a beautiful and connected ski community in these parts and it’s up to us to continue living in the way that has brought us all together. Let us always make good decisions when we’re out in the backcountry, and keep shredding as hard as we can. Kip and Allison wouldn’t have it any other way, and we owe it to them and their enduring spirits to keep that flame alive and burning indefinitely.