A Tribute to Jack Hannan

In late March, Vermont-raised Jack Hannan – a inspirational and passionate skier, husband and friend of many – was taken by a Class 3 avalanche in British Columbia’s Coast Range. Local contributor to AdventureSkier.com, Dave Aronson (aka “Baker Dave”), who was a very close friend of Jack’s, shares with us below some personal thoughts about Jack. Thanks Dave. (Look for some links about Jack below, too)

Jack in his early days.

Words by Dave Aronson
The mountains are powerful places. They move us in so many directions spiritually and physically, and they often draw a very fine line between utter bliss and sheer danger. Often, this line is clear, but on March 31, 2010, for a Vermont-raised friend who was skiing in the mountains of British Columbia’s Coast Range, this line was hazy.

It was brilliant day with plenty of fresh snow and blue skies. My dear friend Jack Hannan, along with his wife Laura Ogden and friends Dave and Tessa Treadway were heli-dropped atop Mt Currie in British Columbia’s beautiful Pemberton Valley. After skiing a familiar couloir, a sudden, but massive, Class 3 avalanche – most likely triggered by a cornice failure higher up on the mountain – swept Jack away. He was scouting a route down the mountain, and was momentarily exposed when the avalanche occurred. He did not survive.

Everyone who has ever crossed paths with Jack could attest to his incredible humility and his giant heart. He was loved by many, and losing him has been painful to anyone with which he ever shared time. I had the honor of meeting Jack when we were sixteen at a ski race at Jay Peak. Our friendship grew quickly, and for the next few years we were inseparable. We moved into a house in Troy, Vermont, and began pre-tirement as ski bums.

Jay Peak was a different mountain in those days. Many of the cut glades that are now on the map were a lot wilder back then, and the summit of Jay was one of Jack’s favorite places. He put tracks down lines that I didn’t think were skiable. This was Jack. He was an amazing skier. When he moved west in the mid-1990s, he made skiing his life, even if meant subsisting at times on ketchup packets, crackers and free milk. He excelled both in freeskiing competitions and in his personal adventures – always with the grit of determination and a huge smile on his face.

I have never in my life met another person who even remotely reminded me of Jack. He was his own man – a man who was shaped by his environment and family early in life. His innate love for the mountains and the outdoors runs deep.

Jack is a great example of how to live your life if you only have 35 years. He did it so well. Jack, may the mountains of Valhalla treat you well my old friend. You will live in our hearts forever.

(Some of Jack’s earliest adventures. Click to enlarge.)

(Living with Jack in northern Vermont (left) and our first Tuck’s adventure together (right))

(Jack, Laura and me on Vermont’s Mount Mansfield and Mt. Pisgah)

(Jack close to home in British Columbia)

Links related to Jack:
– Video Tribute to Jack Hannan
– Story in Pique Magazine
– Story in Backcountry Beacon
– Story in Whistler Question
– Jack’s Got My Back – Friends on Facebook