Got another dose of bad news today from the mainland. One of my best friends from high school, Chris Rudolph, was killed in an avalanche yesterday at Stevens Pass. I got to know Chris when he was the funny guy who lined up next to me in Mr. Walsh's freshman PE class at Campolindo High School. We both shared an interest in mountain biking and skiing. We became good friends during track season as both the high jumpers (me) and pole vaulters (Chris) spent most of their practice time lounging the on large foam mats at the far end of the track. After that we spent our high school years biking Mount Diablo and Canyon or stealing weekend trips to Alpine Meadows or Homewood. I still remember the time when Chris and I took High Traverse at Alpine and he stood up for me after I skied over Shane McConkney's prototype skis. I can also recall an incident with the Moraga Police that he managed to talk our way out of after one of my first keg parties. 
Chris was the person who, following my winter in Tahoe and summer back in San Francisco, convinced me to give one last go at the mountain life and do a winter up at Stevens Pass. He was just hired on in the marketing department at Stevens Pass, he got me hired on as one of the coffee stand supervisors. We had some great evenings hanging out, but it was a lost winter, due to a lack of snow. The mountain was open for approximately four weeks out of the four months I was up there. This left plenty of days and evenings to hang out in Chris' cabin across from the mountain.
I've been a part of the ski community for enough years to know people that have died in avalanches, but it hits close to home when it was one of the people you came of age with. Chris, next time I'm up in Leavenworth, I'll raise a toast to you. It won't be the same without you.
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