I've heard that tone before - the oh-shit-I-just-read-something-bad-you're-not-going-to-like-to-hear tone. "Who was it?" I asked.
"Steve Romeo - you know him, right?"
I met Romeo in 1999, during my second winter in Jackson Hole. He was so freaking full of enthusiasm. I was a complete junkshow and gaper. But he encouraged me to get a rando set-up, keep skiing, and hike the pass a lot. So I did. It's because of experiences with guys like Romeo that I found my way in the mountains.
I'm speaking in the past tense because they found Steve's body, along with Chris Onufer's, underneath Ranger Peak today amongst avie debris.
Steve - you were an inspiration to me. And based on what I've read today, you inspired a whole lot of other people too. Live to Ski, Steve. We've got eyes on you, and we'll see you at the bottom of the run.
