Thread: RIP Beeker

Well it has taken me a few days to grasp what I needed to say.
I was wondering if any of the other maggots knew him.

Our good friend of the mountains Chris Romeskie is now flying with the birds.
He physical presence in our 3 dimentional world has passed. He passed when an Avalanche swiped him off his feet while he was touring up. It took him over a 400 ft cliff. He had dug pits through out the day. It happened in an area we know well. We built a cabin together in this area 8 years ago. He was touring up and an isolated pocket took him off his feet.

Even though alot of you may have never known him, you knew him. His presence was always in the mountains and always will be. Beeker as he was know as was a towering yet gentle presence. He stood over 6'5. He has skied some of the most impressive decents, climbed some of the most impressive big walls, and climbed some of the most impressive ice.


Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there
I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain
When you awake in the mornings hush
I am the soft uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight
I am the star that shines at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there
I did not die


He will be dearly missed by all of us.


www.whistlerquestion.com

RIP...my condolences to all who knew him.

i'm sorry you lost your friend...don't know what to say.

that poem is incredibly moving.

Beeker will be greatly missed in this world. He was an amazing mountaineer, skier, climber, biker, and most of all a friend.
I just heard a story about him one day patrolling and passing a guy on the boot pack up "The Chimney"(steep boot pack), yelling at the guy to get out of the way, guy moves over kinda pissed that someone is passing him, then embarrassed that its a patroller dragging a toboggan up the boot pack, going to a wreck......big strong man that Beeker.
He helped me through a time when a close friend of ours died in a similar situation, and said if he had to go, it would have to be in the mountains, it still very hard, but at least he was in one of his favorite places.
The poem is so true, he is still there, watching over us in these mountains.
RIP Beeker, you are missed.

Originally posted by sluffhunter


Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there
I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain
When you awake in the mornings hush
I am the soft uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight
I am the star that shines at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there
I did not die


He will be dearly missed by all of us.


www.whistlerquestion.com

That poem is one of the most powerful things I've ever read. It is true spirituality, and holy belief. Thank you.

Sorry for the loss of your friend. I'm positive he is enjoying fresh lines with our past grandfathers, and someday you will be skiing with him again. Keep The Faith

RIP. He's still up there, ripping fresh lines of powder at the big Heavenly up there in the sky. Just think, he's up there smiling during summer when he's skiing and we're sweating.

I'm not religious, but its the image I like. Hard but going in the mountains is the way I want to go (not soon, but eventually)

RIP

My condolences to his family and friends. Sounds like a quality guy by any measure.

Been lurking for a while now but this thread hits a little closer to home so thought I'd register to chime in...

I had the absolute pleasure of working with Chris back in the mid-90's for a couple of Whistler seasons and have to say he was one of the most magnetic, intense and proud personalities you could ever meet. His endless passion for the mountains could never be mistaken and his continual quest for alpine knowledge was simply amazing. People may tend to emphasize, perhaps sometimes overly emphasize, the great things about people in passing, but with Beeker every good word you hear about him is 100% truth.

Have to admit I'd lost touch with him since those Whistler days but my memories of him will always been crystal clear... that's just the kind of impact a personality like Chris can have on you.

You will be missed Chris....
http://www.northanger.org/images/crewchri.jpg
http://www.skipressworld.com/images/...kcomb_peak.jpg

Originally posted by coastal
Been lurking for a while now but this thread hits a little closer to home so thought I'd register to chime in...

I had the absolute pleasure of working with Chris back in the mid-90's for a couple of Whistler seasons and have to say he was one of the most magnetic, intense and proud personalities you could ever meet. His endless passion for the mountains could never be mistaken and his continual quest for alpine knowledge was simply amazing. People may tend to emphasize, perhaps sometimes overly emphasize, the great things about people in passing, but with Beeker every good word you hear about him is 100% truth.

Have to admit I'd lost touch with him since those Whistler days but my memories of him will always been crystal clear... that's just the kind of impact a personality like Chris can have on you.

You will be missed Chris....
http://www.northanger.org/images/crewchri.jpg
http://www.skipressworld.com/images/...kcomb_peak.jpg

BEST FIRST POST EVER

no one jong this guy...

I never had the pleasure of knowing chris or even hearing of him until now. i have read his posts and all of you talk with so much respect, you speek like he was a reel man of the mountains, who was very knowledgable and was always seeking to know more. I am saddend that he has past for his family, for the mountains and for the people out there who didnt share his joy and peace in the there.
RIP

Rest in peace.

Extreme bummer! RIP, Chris....

This is terrible news. My condolences to all who knew him. Thank you Sluff and Coastal for your moving words. "Even though alot of you may have never known him, you knew him" - so true yet I still wish I had met your friend. Rest in peace.

It seems that those in Whistler have more than their share of tradgedy this autumn and winter. Let it end here.

God Bless.

Rest in peace.

wow - two very moving posts (sluffhunter / costal). Sounds like Chris was a fantastic guy - at least he died doing something he loved. We should all be so lucky.

Originally posted by Canuk
wow - two very moving posts (sluffhunter / costal). Sounds like Chris was a fantastic guy - at least he died doing something he loved. We should all be so lucky.

Seconded.

Good vibes to all.

Rest in peace.

rip

Every now and then we must go through the sad event when the mountains take one back from us. I never met Chris, but he sounded like an amazing man, who's life was cut short by doing what he loved to do.

Rest in Peace.

From:

http://www.avalanche.org/av-reports/...p3?OID=1945981

Accident Report

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 02-01-2004
Submitted By: WWAN
Place: Cayoosh Mountain, northeast of Pemberton
State: BC Country: CANADA
Fatalities: 1 Activity: SKI
Summary: 1 skier caught, carried, and killed

***MEDIA REPORTS***
Please visit:
http://www.whistlerquestion.com

Whistlerite perishes in avalanche

A Whistlerite known by many for his infectious enthusiasm died during a backcountry ski trip northeast of Pemberton Sunday when the snow underneath him gave way and sent him careening down a 400-foot cliff.
The life of Chris Romeskie, known to his friends as “Beeker,” will be celebrated by friends and family on Friday at 7 p.m. at Dusty’s in Creekside. Friend Andie Osborne said the memorial will include music, slides and tributes from Romeskie’s family and friends.

“He did everything big,” said Osborne, who along with Romeskie’s fiancée, Nicole McKay, accompanied Romeskie on the ill-fated ski trip to Cayoosh Mountain.

“He was 6-(feet)-8 with ski boots on,” Osborne said. “He was the one who broke trail, he was the one who got us up in the morning. He was the one who wouldn’t let us have a rest day the next day.”

Said another friend, Greg Eymundson, “Beeker was one of the highest energy, most enthusiastic people that I knew. Whether I was climbing a glacier with him or racing with him at the Toonies (bike races), he was always on top of his game — with a smile.

“He never had a bad word to say about anyone or anything. Beeker has definitely been a huge positive influence and inspiration to me.”

According to Pemberton RCMP Cst. Paul Vadik, the three skiers were traversing a steep alpine ridge on the north side of Cayoosh Mountain when the snow underneath Romeskie gave way “triggering an a valanche, and (he) fell off a 400-foot cliff along with a significant amount of snow.”

Police said Osborne and McKay reached Romeskie and performed cardio-pulmonary rescuscitation (CPR) but were unable to revive him.

Osborne declined to describe the incident, other than to say the RCMP statement “is accurate and thorough to the level of detail I want to get into.

“It’s been such a traumatic few days,” she added. “I spent a couple hours at the RCMP last night and I can’t really go through it all again.”

Osborne said the three were all experienced backcountry skiers who had visited the Cayoosh Mountain area many times. “We were all familiar with the area,” she said.

Romeskie, in fact, was in the middle of training to become certified as an Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) ski guide when he died, Osborne said.

Romeskie, 29, moved from the Ottawa Valley in Ontario to Whistler in 1993, working and volunteering on the Blackcomb Ski Patrol for “three or four years,” just for the chance to ski and enjoy the outdoors here, she said.

“He did carpentry in the summer and worked hard to save up for a good ski season, tuned skis at night, put in his days with vollie patrols to have a pass and ski for free —to frolic in our mountains,” Osborne said.

Romeskie also climbed in Squamish in the summers, and was an avid mountain biker. He regul arly participated in Whistler’s Toonie bike races.

Last fall, Romeskie was named “Strongest Samurai” at the Samurai of Singletrack cross-country endurance mountain biking event, finishing ninth overall despite using a 40-plus-pound downhill bike.

“I met him through my boyfriend five years ago at the tuning shop and have enjoyed many sunny ski days with Beeker, and some white-out ones, too,” said Osborne, who described him as having a “big heart” and “infectious enthusiasm.”

She said “Beeker” enjoyed visits to France, where his mother, Beatrice, came from, and last summer had a memorable fishing trip to Alaska with his father, Julian. He is also survived by two brothers and a sister.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund is being set up to pay for the memorial and for his fiancée, McKay, Osborne said.

She said friends and family offered special thanks to those from Whistler and Blackcomb Ski Patrol, Blackcomb Helicopters, Ministry of Transportation, RCMP and the Coroner’s service, who help ed out in the aftermath of Sunday’s tragedy.

Originally posted by seldon
BEST FIRST POST EVER

no one jong this guy...

Agreed.

RIP

RIP

Sounds like he was a great guy...

Fantastic tribute Sluffhunter and Coastal.
RIP and God Bless!

Well, last night was a huge gathering of kind souls.
The doors opened up at 7pm and Dustys (capacity 300+) was filled up by 7:20 pm. But that didn't stop the masses. There were over 200 people outside listening to the speaches through open windows and watching the slid show through glass. And if the party was in a stadium, that would have been filled also. One can only wish of such a gathering of strong, powerful hearts for a celebration of their life.
Chris's parents and his soul mate were very strong. They were the one's comforting us.
The slide show lasted almost 30 minutes. The most impressive slide show I have ever seen.

Rest in peace Chris. We all feel your presence

To sluff, coastal and all who knew Chris, I am sorry you lost your friend.