Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for the outpouring of support you have provided our family.  It has meant so much to us during this difficult time.  The stories of Dave have made me smile.

Some of you know about Dave's beloved orange coat he would wear while skiing.  He did not want to replace that coat for a newer version. You will be happy to know the coat has taken on a new life thanks to May and my sister Judith. I will post a photo.

Nancy

Dave loved to travel to crags and mountains all over the world. To me, he seemed to have climbed everywhere and, more often than not, had climbed the marquee route at each place he visited.

In 2019, I hiked into Mt. Alberta in the Canadian Rockies for research on a book. Its north face is considered one of the hardest alpine routes in North America and is one of the most remote and most difficult to approach. The hike is spectacular, but includes a sketchy river crossing, thousands of feet of nightmarish scree slogging, and a rappel, just to get to the foot of the face and the beginning of the climb.

When I got back and told Dave about my hike to view Mt. Alberta, he said, “ Oh yeah, I’ve been there.”

Of course he had. He explained that he and a partner had attempted the north face more than a decade earlier.

With respect to climbing or skiing, it was likely that Dave had “been there, done that.”

I have had the privilege to go climbing, skiing and hanging out with the Dave for the past few years.  And, what a privilege that has been!

My friends and I called Dave the Sensei because his few but very wise words.  Here are a couple of examples:

"Climb where the holds are!"  - said the first time I went climbing with the Dave.  We were  doing some 5.easy route in Lumpy ridge and me, being mostly a boulderer, was trying to find the most contrived way up worrying that using the big holds might be considered cheating.

"Clip from the clipping hold!" - yelled when we were climbing inside and I followed my usual M-O clipping 3 feet below the bolt from the smallest hold on the route.

My favorite lesson from the Sensei is the law of energy conservation.  Spend your energy on what matters most. It took me 10 years to figure out that when Dave told my friends and me that we were looking strong and doing an awesome job breaking trail, that was his way of ensuring that we'd keep breaking trail like eager Golden retrieving puppies psyched to please their master, so he could have extra energy ripping some sweet line.  Rumor, i.e. Dave, has it that Steph and May will put up a bench somewhere in memory of him with the words "Never stand if you can sit, never sit if you can lie down".  Steph and May, if this is indeed true please let me know if I can contribute in  any way.

To think that I will never see Dave flashing his awesome somewhat mischievous smile after we skied some superlative powder line is incredibly sad.  But, at least I was fortunate enough to enjoy his presence  for a little while.  Dave will live in my mind to the end of my days and I will keep asking myself, What Would Dave Do.

 Boulder Daily Camera article:

https://www.dailycamera.com/2…