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The one and only Beeker

Pemberton skier killed in backcountry accident on Cayoosh Mountain Even by Whistler and Pemberton standards, Chris Michael Romeskie - better known to his friends as Beeker - was an animal when it came to taking on the great outdoors.

Pemberton skier killed in backcountry accident on Cayoosh Mountain

Even by Whistler and Pemberton standards, Chris Michael Romeskie - better known to his friends as Beeker - was an animal when it came to taking on the great outdoors. He was an avid mountain biker, a rock climber, an ice climber, and an excellent skier with a huge circle of similarly active friends.

Beeker, 29, was killed in a backcountry ski touring accident on Sunday, Feb. 1, on Cayoosh Mountain. According to reports, he was traversing a steep alpine ridge at approximately 7,900 feet when the snow broke away beneath him and carried him over a 400-goot cliff.

The other two members of his party, Beeker's fiancé Nicole McKay and friend Andie Osborne, managed to avoid being carried away by the slide. They skied down to where Beeker was buried in the snow, and attempted CPR for about 45 minutes. They skied out and contacted the authorities.

A coroner's report on the accident is expected in the next few weeks.

"At this point in time, what we're doing is talking to the other two members of the party, and I'm getting statements, but it's so close and so traumatic that we're not rushing it. What we do is let the emotions calm down so we can then start reconstructing things," said community coroner Brian Pothier.

The coroner, RCMP, members of the Pemberton Search and Rescue team, members of Whistler-Blakcomb Ski Patrol, Blackcomb Helicopters, and a representative from the Ministry of Transportation worked together to extract Beeker on Monday, an operation which took four hours to complete. Pothier thanked everybody who helped with the extraction.

The group took all reasonable precautions, digging a snow pit and heading into the backcountry fully equipped.

"It was one of the most beautiful days of the year - blue skies, perfect snow, no wind," remembers Osborne.

Beeker was very experienced in the backcountry, and was working towards his Association of Canadian Mountain Guides Certification in skiing as well as rock climbing.

"I knew him as a skier and a climber, but he had this whole other life as a mountain biker as well," said Osborne.

"In the past few years he really focused on guiding. I think he genuinely loved to share his passion for the outdoors. He was strong enough and knowledgeable enough to help others get to some truly beautiful places."

Beeker moved to Whistler in 1993. He is from the Ottawa area originally, and spent several years growing up in France, where he had dual citizenship through his mother. He still went to France to ski every time he had the chance.

He recently moved to Pemberton, but spent a lot of his time in Whistler working, skiing and taking part in Loonie races. He and his fiancé even took part in the Samurai of Singletrack event this year, where he was named Strongest Samurai for powering through the course on his heavy bike.

Beeker spent his summers working as a carpenter. During the winter he tuned skis and volunteered for the Blackcomb Ski Patrol.

"I know he loved working with the Blackcomb Patrol," said Osborne. "He did that for the people. and the skiing, although he always spoke really highly of that crew of people."

Osborne says the best way to describe Beeker is "Infectious enthusiasm - I think that totally captures his aura. He was always totally psyched to be outside and to go to new and beautiful places, and he wanted other people to do that too."

Beeker and McKay had been together eight years and were to get married this summer. They shared the same love for mountain biking and Loonie races, and one of their favourite places to ride was Spruce Lake.

Beeker also did a lot of technical rock climbing in Squamish at a very high level, said Osborne.

One of Beeker's most incredible adventures, however, was a sailing and climbing trip to Greenland aboard a boat called the Northanger 2001. The highlight of the trip was the successful ascent of a 2,800-foot wall on the north face of a massif named Sanderson's Hope.

According to the expedition report, Beeker had just finished skiing the famous Couturier Couloir at Chamonix when he received a call from Jia Condon, a close friend from Whistler, inviting him on the voyage.

"He was a strong young man, and he just had an incredible drive," said Condon.

"He was also incredibly active - he was always running around like a madman. When he was skiing he was always the one to do that extra run, and he always had that extra energy to push on.

"He was a conversationalist for sure, and he liked to talk bullshit and hang out, but he would always get out and walk the talk.

"He will be missed."

Osborne agreed.

"He was one of a kind," she said. "It definitely leaves a big hole."

Friends and family members who have flown in are holding a memorial service for Beeker at Dusty's on Friday night, starting at 7 p.m. There will be a slideshow, music and friends will say a few words. There will also be a silent auction to raise money for a memorial fund. Some of the funding will go to help Nicole, and the rest will go towards a backcountry memorial or legacy for Beeker.

Beeker was survived by his mother and father, Beatrice and Julian Romeskie, as well as his brothers Greg and Lars, and his sister Lara. All are from the Ottawa area, although Greg spent a year out west with his brother.