Jack Hannan, long time athlete tragically dies in slide
April 1st, 2010
At this time my upmost regret goes out to say we lost one of our original athletes, mentors, rippers, and all around great people. My, and all of our, thoughts and upmost support goes out to Laura, Jon, Susan, Dan, all of Jacks crew, friends, family, and fans. I know many of you, and we are all here to help in any way imaginable.
At this point details are sketchy, long friend and coathlete Ben Furimsky reports roughly that a slide occurred near MT. Pemberton taking Jack down the mountain. In the short few moments it took the amazing friends of Jack to reach him in haste, tragically there was nothing that could be done.
Please check back for more inforamtion and official details as they become available.
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SD “Unwritten History” 2004 Official Jack Hannan Segment
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- SD @ 480 -
HDV “SCREENPLAY” 2006 Official Jack Hannan Segment
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- HDV @ 720 -
*if video comes up as an error, it is due to lots of traffic. please check back or view on itunes podcast (search “feed://www.twoplank.com/feed” for RSS feed).
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Additional memorial videos and photos will be up soon to celebrate the life of Jack Hannan. A great and inspiring man I am thankful and honored to say I’ve known long enough for Jack to teach me much of what I know about the mountains.
Please keep jacks family, Laura, Jon and Susan, and all friends in your thoughts in this horrible time.
Jack, amigo, I can not begin to even find the start of this tale. But in short, it has been an absolute honor to have worked side by side, learning, growing, and overall having a blast with you. Your legacy will never be lost and the great life you have lived will cast a constant image to all who have crossed your name. Smooth sailing, wherever you are. And I can’t even begin to say all of the amazing adventures and experiences. Rest in peace Jack-
-ct
April 1st, 2010 at 3:16 pm
A terrible loss. Thoughts and prayers to the family of the victim and those that were on scene.
April 1st, 2010 at 4:19 pm
Thank you for this post. It was touching and soothing. Your thoughts are helpful for those of us who just don’t know what to say. From: friends of the family in Vermont
April 1st, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Jack was one of the kindest, most patient, and unbelievable skiers I have ever met and gotten to know. My heart goes out to Laura and their family. You will dearly be missed Jack and I am so thankful I had the chance to really get to know you back when we all lived at the blue house in CB-won’t ever forget you tearing up the bike course, your funny halloween costumes, or what a wonderful person you were to us all. Thanks Jack for everything.
April 1st, 2010 at 7:18 pm
I have known jack from his beginning.Trout Lake to crested bute. He is and still is the one of the best kids there is. I have three others who feel the same way, let us pour it out for those left behind. Go JACK!
April 1st, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Go jack you are in the moment.
April 1st, 2010 at 7:28 pm
Jack was one of the kindest people anyone has ever known. I have had many inspirational and unforgettable memories thanks to Jack. He was a beacon of light. My thoughts and prayers go out to all his loved ones. May his spirit endure.
April 1st, 2010 at 7:57 pm
It is a graet loss.I knew Jack since I was 4 years old.A holland boy at heart with with the strenght of the NEK at his back and the ability to carve ice from J peak under his feet. He took it to where he wanted to go.His passion for skiing was like no other.I will always turn with both feet diggen thinking of you Jack my old freind.
April 1st, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Jack my friend, I don’t even know where to begin except with a thank you…thank you for so many things…your incredible attitude and outlook on life and the passion you lived your life with, your motivating and inspiring energy and your always determined mentality, all the adventures and laughs that we shared, for being a good friend and more like a brother sometimes, and for being a true Gunni Goat!
You were a good friend to many and an awesome character and person to all and you will never be forgotten by any of us.
I hope you and Irie get to shred again wherever you are now..
You may be gone but you will always be remembered my friend…Shred in peace Jack!
April 1st, 2010 at 9:50 pm
I got to know jack while in CB and I was running the free skiing events there - great guy. It has been a while since I last saw him, but he was a class act. He will be sorely missed. My thoughts and prayers are with those that were with him at the time of this tragic event and of course his family.
April 2nd, 2010 at 9:36 am
It has been almost two days since we first got the call from Jon while he was on scene. I still find it hard to believe that Jack is gone. He was a great friend, a huge inspiration, and one of the safest, strongest skiers I have ever known. I wish he and Laura could move back in for the summer one more time. All my thoughts are with Laura, their families, and all our friends that are there in Pembe for support. We love you Jack!
April 2nd, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Jack,
we always knew, without any reservation that you were the perfect man for our sister. We will always love and respect you. Long may you run.
April 2nd, 2010 at 9:39 pm
I knew Jack for a short period of time a long time ago and yet my heart hurts to learn of this tragedy. We met in CB while I was travelling through but it’s always easy to pick out a fellow Vermonter! Jack was unforgettable and I will always remember his amazing smile, personality and attitude. My thoughts are with his loved ones. Fare thee well Jack
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:45 pm
I will never forget you Jack and the times we all shared in CB in 1990’s!!! You were just like my little Brother! Love and prayers to your family and all your many friends! We love YOU JACK!!!!
April 3rd, 2010 at 8:01 am
Jack’s life in 1400 words
I can’t tell you how much reading these posts has meant to Jack’s family back here in Vermont and elsewhere. We sent him out into the world what seems like ages ago and, of course, he had a life well beyond his roots. These comments have been a window into that life that has been most comforting and gratifying to all of us. We always knew the great spirit he was - it’s nice to see how others recognize that too.
What follows is an account we’ve put together of his life from our vantage point. As you’ll see it was written for a broader audience than the skiing community, but just as we have learned from your perspective we thought you might enjoy knowing where his roots were. Please forgive any inaccuracies in accounts of more recent events - we’re still pulling in the facts.
Enjoy and Thank You all!
Jack Gabriel Hannan lived for mountains. Maybe it was the view of Mt. Hood from the hospital in Portland, Oregon where he entered this world on September 18, 1974, or perhaps the aura of Hood’s sister volcano to the north, Mt. Adams, in whose shadow he spent his toddler years, but make no mistake, a passion for high places and the great outdoors became imbedded into his make-up from an early age.
As a 4-year-old, after his unrepentant hippie parents had moved him to a teepee in the Idaho panhandle, he scampered to the top of his first summit – Clifty, a lovely 2000-meter escarpment with a sweeping view of the Kootenai River valley below - a valley he and his family called home until answering the Green Mountains’ beckoning call in 1979.
Holland, Vermont – as unpretentious a Vermont town as exists – its proximity to Jay Peak and a moderately obsessive, ski-patrol neighbor launched his skiing career with gusto. Nearly every weekend morning saw the pre-dawn arrival of the neighbor who sipped thick, black coffee while Jack bundled into hand-me-down winter garb, gathered his well-used equipment and headed off in Bruce’s Datsun for Jay Peak where the most snow and the coldest skiing in Vermont prevail. For the next ten or so years, Jack was a fixture at Jay Peak, as much a part of the landscape as the Kitzbeuhel or the glades he helped pioneer - black diamond terrain unsurpassed in the East. Whether sipping hot chocolate at the Snow Job or as one of the youngest ski instructors ever, Jay was his home-away-from-home – or was that what Holland was to Jay Peak?
His nascent passion for mountains was never confined to the winter months. By the time he was 18, he’d hiked Vermont’s Long Trail from Massachusetts to Canada with his family. He’d attended the Green Mountain Conservation Camp – twice. He’d spent a summer doing trail and bridge work with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps on the side of Camel’s Hump; a season with the Green Mountain Club’s Long Trail Patrol and a long stint building trails for US Forest Service out of the Rochester Ranger District.
It’s said that skiing the ice of the East is better training for skiing the West’s powder than vice versa. So a year or so after he graduated from North Country Union High School in 1992, the lure of the West’s deep powder and endless couloirs proved irresistible. He aimed his tips toward Crested Butte, Colorado and settled in for the next phase of his mountain love affair. While he came back to Vermont for visits he never “looked back†– for the next 17 years he called Colorado’s Rockies and British Columbia’s Coast Range home.
Just as Jay Peak has been spared the glitter and hype of a Killington or Stowe, Crested Butte was the perfect analog for Jack to land at – serious about skiing and shunning the trappings of a “resort,†he found his niche. Embodying the “work hard/play hard†ethos of his new found community of friends he blossomed and grew on both fronts. First as a landscaper and then as a carpenter, he managed to feed his mountain habits by following the annual rhythm of gathering enough financial acorns in good weather to ski all winter – to spend endless hours ripping remote lines on the back of “the Butte†and in the access-challenged peaks looming out of this bucolic valley.
There he also parlayed his fledgling Vermont hunting skills into standard fare for the dinner table in the form of regular success in harvesting Colorado’s elk. Never one to take the easy path, he had stories of downing an 800-pound animal in a roadless area and packing out quarters on his back. You could taste the effort in the gourmet home-made jerky he sent home to tantalize us here in Vermont. In another era he might have been at home trapping beaver and hunting “Griz†with Jedediah Smith or Jim Bridger.
There too he embarked on a circuit that had its roots in Crested Butte – the world of “extreme skiing†competitions. In the same way that a competitive diver who miscues slightly on a difficult dive might receive a higher score than a diver who nails an easy one, much of the scoring in extreme skiing hinges on the difficulty of the line chosen and the finesse with which the skier navigates that line. No terrain in the East could qualify as an extreme competition setting, save perhaps the headwall at New Hampshire’s Tuckerman Ravine. To say the format encourages “pushing the envelope†is an understatement – and push it Jack did. His list of podium visits is impressive including perhaps his most gratifying moment when he took first in the 2003 US Freeskiing Championships before the home-town crowd at Crested Butte. But Kirkwood, Snowbird, Whistler and other venues saw Jack take honors as well.
In Crested Butte he also met his future bride – house painter, artist and fellow extreme competitor, Laura Ogden. In 2005 she won the North American Freeskiing Tour, and in 2006 she took the World Freeskiing Tour in a clean sweep – woman aplenty to match Jack’s passions for sure! Their tours on the circuit gave them a taste of elsewhere and British Columbia’s more consistent snow and proximity to Laura’s family in Tacoma, Washington lured them northward.
In 2007 they moved full-time to Pemberton, B. C. – another bucolic, unspoiled valley with majestic Mount Currie for its backdrop. In 2008 they wed in a backyard ceremony celebrated by extended and complex families and a teaming host of friends. Their wedded lives launched in grand style, Laura settled into nursing school while Jack rode the crest of a building boom related somewhat to the pending arrival of the Winter Olympics in nearby Whistler.
Hundreds of miles of untrammeled wilderness and un-skied peaks range north out of Pemberton. Their thirst for competitive honors quenched, they channeled their zeal toward the shear joy of planning and executing first descents of peak after peak in this snowbound playing field. Snow machines, helicopters, crampons, ice axes, climbing skins and endurance all played parts in satisfying these urges. Their skills attracted more than one film company and many photographers. The internet abounds in visual accounts of their triumphs.
While Jack and Laura ranged far and wide in pursuit of fresh lines, Mt. Currie was their familiar haunt – it was “their†mountain. Virtually in their backyard and with an available heli ride for themselves and two friends, it was to Mt. Currie they headed on March 31, 2010. It was a perfect powder day, fantastic weather and a memorable run was the result. Stopping to put on skins for the rolling trek back to civilization, the serenity and satisfaction was interrupted by the freight-train sound of a Class 3 avalanche careening down the couloir they’d just skied. All raced for the safety of nearby ledges; all but Jack made it. It was over in seconds. A Class 3 avalanche is defined as capable of crushing cars and small buildings – Jack’s life was likely snuffed before the snow settled. His companions reached him in moments and had him extracted soon thereafter, but there was not life left to save. These were among the most experienced and well-equipped backcountry skiers in the world. They had avalanche beacons, avalanche probes, cell phones and thousands of hours of backcountry experience among them, but the suddenness of the tragedy proved to be a greater force than preparedness and skill.
Jack leaves behind his beloved Laura and her family on the West Coast, his mother, Carolyn Hannan and her husband Peter Moskovites of West Charleston, VT; “the dad he grew up with,†Paul Hannan, his wife Cornelia Carey and their daughter, Jack’s sister, Adelaide Hannan of Calais, VT; his brother, Cedar Hannan and his partner Jennifer Linck of Craftsbury, VT; his birth father, George Reeves, his wife Roseann and their sons Richard and Ian of Anacortes, WA, and relatives far and wide. More friends and admirers than there are ski lines in the Coast Range grieve his passing, with wonderful thoughts posted in various internet venues to bear witness to that truth and to the humility and spirit that accompanied Jack’s accomplishments.
An Indian proverb speaks: “When you were born you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.†We all mourn Jack’s passing but there is no doubt that he should rejoice in a life well-lived.
April 3rd, 2010 at 8:26 am
Many friends in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont are sharing your loss. Our thoughts are with you.
April 3rd, 2010 at 9:16 am
Never forget seeing him ski for the first time. I didn’t know who he was but the guy in the “lands end” style jacket with the ball-point pen writing on the back (what DID that say??) literally flew by me in 3rd bowl. Man that dude could ski. But skiing is the easy part, he was a GREAT person with a great smile and attitude. I know it’s not the ideal end but he died with his boots on doing what we all love so much. rip in peace my friend.
April 3rd, 2010 at 11:10 am
Many people who have share their time with Jack can attest to all the things that have been written on this page. He was the best of the best, Jack would do anything to be at his best at all time, I came of age with Jack living and skiing at Jay. Brad who wrote earlier, he Jack and I had some amazing times together. I cannot count the endless days of pushing Jacks V.W. Rabbit up Rte 242 trying to get to the Mountain, Man that car was a piece of work but Jack loved it. Brad and I were with Jack on his first ski adventure to cut his teeth on the bowls and gullies of Tuckermans Ravine. an Unforgetable time. Ben Furimsky You were a treasured friend to Jack and after spending Time on the birkenhead River chasing trout I can understand why! We love Jack. A spire of strength, with the softest of sides. I didnt have any brothers as a youth and since the first day of meeting Jack at a ski race, He has been The best brother to me anyone could ask for. I broke my leg a few year ago on Jay. (It was a return trip for old time sake) he canceled his trip home to stay with my wife and I just to help out. That just the kind of guy he was. He will never fathom our love for him. Jack you Rip in peaceful powder Buddy!
April 3rd, 2010 at 7:22 pm
I first met Jack in 1993 when we’d both moved to CB to pursue our dreams of skiing professionally and competing in the Extreme Skiing Championships. We formed a fast friendship and skied together almost daily for two straight years. I remember fondly the time we skied a couple pitches on Monarch Pass and had to hitch-hike back up to that crappy old Datsun of his in the dark. Skiing the Anthracites with our roomate’s 150 pound rotweiler, Bear (who straight ran the first chute he saw, and beat us both to the bottom). He was a dear friend, exceptional skier and a light in my life. I will miss him terribly but I’m sure wherever his spirit is, he’s keeping it real. Sail on brother, you dug it the most!
April 4th, 2010 at 1:00 am
In the mid 1990’s Jack helped show me the steeps of Crested Butte. Dragging me to the most hairball places on killer powder days will never be forgotten. But the most impressive part of those memories is that his infectious smile and quick words of encouragement helped make a nervous rookie at ease, and have some amazing turns. It was always a treat to be around such a great person on and off the slopes. Thank you Jack!!!
April 4th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
We were shocked to here the news of Jack’s tragic death. Laura and Jack were our tenants here in Pemberton, and we enjoyed them both very much! Laura and Jack’s family our deepest sympathy go out to you. When we look at our view of Mt. Currie we will always think of the lovely person Jack was.
April 5th, 2010 at 3:15 am
It helps more than you all can know to see these photos, videos, and tributes to Jack. They support us all and reinforce what Jack’s family know about him - he was amazing; kind, awesome, sweet, smart, skilled, talented, and, oh, did I say amazing? We know he was doing what he loved best, with the woman he loved best. We love Laura, too. Ski in his memory, be as safe as you can in his memory. And I love this from Justin
“Shred in peace Jack!”
April 5th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
I’m a reporter for Pique Newsmagazine in Whistler, and I’m working on an obituary for Jack — any friends or family wishing to comment can write me at andrew@piquenewsmagazine.com or call me at 604-938-0202.
Sadly, I’ve done these stories many times before and I can assure everyone that I prefer to focus on the person insead of the accident.
April 5th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
I just heard the terrible news, I’m shocked and deeply saddened. I got to know Jack,Jon, Laura and Susan when they first started coming to my shop in Pemberton to get their sleds fixed. I will miss Jack’s happy go lucky demeanor and attitude, a man of solid character, what Crested Butte lost when he moved, Pemberton gained in his moving to Pemberton, now we’ve lost a great person and an asset to our community.
My thoughts go out to Laura, and if I was a religious person, so do my prayers!
Go Jack! We will miss you, Take care! If I can steal a line from Justin…Shred in peace Jack!
April 6th, 2010 at 7:45 am
Jack Hannan was the best alpine athlete to come out of North Country High School. Jack reached the highest levels of skiing. Coaching this young man was inspiring, he never missed a practice, stayed on the mt. all day, and probably night too. I am so proud to have coached him from an intermediate his freshman year to compete with the best in the state of Vermont his senior year of high school. My heart is saddened of this news, and will ski with his memory always. My dream of skiing with you in the western mountains
will be realized when we meet again.
Coach Dave Smith, Jay Peak Vermont
April 9th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
All my deepest condolences and sympathies go out to Jack and Laura’s families. Was amazed at the 2 videos I just watched and all the amazing posts I have read on this site. Jack, Dave and myself all lived in a house close to Jay peak in Troy, Vermont around the winter of 92′. Even back then he was he was ripping it up to new levels. I’m saddened we lost touch over the years as I can just imagine the man he grew into. Wherever you’re at now Jack I wish you peace and endless fields of pow. Thank you for all the great times we had and all the good vibes you brought to this world.
April 26th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
A note for Paul, Carolyn, Cedar and Laurs
I thought about writing each of you separately to express my deepest sympathy in Jack’s death but then I recognized that for each of you and your attachment to Jack, as well as for me and Rosie his aunt, there is a common fabric woven in us all. From the notes already posted it was also woven into all his friends and fellow skiers.
Jack was able to bring us all to a greater sharing in a real love of life than many of us might have had without him.
I was so happy to have been able to meet Laura and see Jack again several years ago at Paul’s house in VT. I could see then the deep love, respect and caring taht Jack and Laura had for each other. As I said to Rosie–I cannot imagine the depth of loss that Laura has to be feeling to lose such a soul mate as Jack. The gift of such a companion is truly a treasure–I know Jack felt that about Laura and I know she felt the same about him. I havwe also never seen two such humble, down to earth loving individuals as Laura and Jack.
Laura, I will always reemember Jack going into the woods at Jay Peak wwith me and going over little tiny jumps when he was small–making me feel great. I never moved beyond those jumps but he sure did. Finding you, to me, made his life complete. YOu both shared the same passions, the same work ethic–work hard, love life, enjoy the moment. I shared my feelings about you both with my family. They were utterly amazed at the videos they saw.
I think about you, Carolyn, your committment to Jack from birth–he represents all the good things in life because of how you and Paur raised him. He life reflected your love of the earth, respect for all things, appreciation of others and committment to excellence in whatever area you work in. Paur, your written reflection on Jack and his life said so much in such an eloquent way.You both extened that life ethic to Cedar and how he is a wonderful example of the love and direction you both gave to the boys.
Cedar, I cannot imagine the loss of a brother or sister. I have 7 and I tried to picture my feelings and I was overwhelmed with grief. Please know I share your feelings of loss and I have you in my prayers. I know CArolyn and Paul and Addie and Laura will need your strength and resilience in the coming days.
For all of you know that Jack is gone from us only in a physical way. He is alwasy with us deep inside as we are all one in the spirit. His love for each of you remains–his caring, his support. Look for him in all his favorite places because he will talk to each of you from there.
I have always loved the song “I Hope You Dance” and the small book with the same title.
Jack danced and we all were lucky enought to share his song and his movement. When Life gave him the chance to sit it out or dance–he danced.How much less full the world would have been if he had not taken that chance.
September 24th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
My sweet nephew whom I admired so much. I miss him. He was lucky in love, lucky with his parents, his brother, Cedar.