Dave Treadway, the legendary Canadian freeskier, died on April 15 after a fall at Rhododendron Mountain close to Pemberton in British Columbia. His death was confirmed in a post on the skier’s official website that read, “April 16, 2019: We’ve learned that Dave Treadway, an incredible skier and a monumental human, has passed away after an accident near Rhododendron Mountain, Pemberton.”
While a Facebook post from Treadway’s friend, Steve Andrews, on April 16. Andrews wrote that Treadway “accomplished more in your short life than most could ever dream of.” Treadway was 34 years old. He is survived by his wife Tessa and two sons, Kasper and Raffi.
Treadway’s aunt, Kate Treadway-Elinsky, told Global News that her nephew had been living with his family in the area around Pemberton where he was filming a movie, titled “Free Range Family.” The station reports that rescue services were called to Rhododendron Mountain on April 15 after hearing reports that a skier had fallen into a 98-foot-deep crevasse. The Pemberton Search and Rescue team required support from the Whistler team in order to extract Treadway from the crevasse.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Authorities Believe That Treadway Got Into Difficult Conditions Because of the Changing Weather
In an interview with Pique News Magazine the head of Pemberton’s Search and Rescue team, David MacKenzie, said that the deceased skier had run into difficult conditions due to warming weather. On April 4, Treadway wrote on Instagram that the warming weather was no reason to hang up your skis:
MacKenzie went on to say that, “There are crevasses all over the backcountry and in the glacial area. Various ones may have an ice bridge over them or something, and some of them can be sight unseen.” MacKenzie continued to describe the means of retrieving a person from the crevasse, describing it as a “very technical operation.” He said, the difficulty of getting rescuers into the crevasse is one thing, but it is even more difficult to pull them back out along with the subject.
2. Treadway & His Wife Were ‘Continually Hunting Adventures’
In one profile, SBCSkier.com referred to Treadway as “one of the most influential skiers of our time.” The bio adds that “Dave and his wife Tessa are continually hunting adventures, slaying big-big-big lines and traveling the globe.”
In recent years, Treadway had drifted away from professional skiing and had become devoted to his family. On his Instagram bio, Treadway wrote, “The FAMILY that PLAYS together, STAYS together! ????.” This was Treadway’s final Instagram post:
On March 31, Treadway paid tribute to his friend, Jack Hannan, who was killed in an avalanche on Mount Currie in 2010.
Treadway wrote in a post on his website, “Last winter I committed to living, traveling and skiing with my family. Every day I was out in the mountains, we were together.” He concluded the post by saying that he had skiers were “selfish” because they were always chasing ski lines. In April 2018, Treadway wrote that he went skiing by himself for two days and that those days would be his “adrenalin fix for the year.”
3. Tessa Treadway Was Pregnant at the Time of Her Husband’s Death
According to a GoFundMe page that has been set up for Treadway’s family, it says that Tessa Treadway is pregnant with the couple’s third child. At the time of writing, that page has raised close to $3,000 in just under three hours. The page said that Treadway and his wife had “very recently committed to buying a house in Golden BC.”
The GoFundMe page says that Treadway that his “achievements in the mountains were only outweighed by his desire to show others the love of God.” The crowdfunding page also says that Treadway had been serving as a youth leader in his community.
According to a post on Treadway’s Facebook page, he married his wife Tessas in Baja, Mexico. Treadway says on that page that he previously lived in Nayarit in Western Mexico.
4. Treadway Said That the Only Book Her Reads Is the Bible
Treadway told SBCSkier.com in October 2018 that the only book he read, other than children’s books to his kids, was the Bible. Treadway said that his second favorite place to ski in Canada was the Pemberton Big-Mountain Hunting Club in the Pemberton Back Country although his number one location was with his family at Troll Mountain.
Treadway also said that the one word he associates with skiing was “freedom,” that his favorite food was “sushi” and when asked about his favorite album, Treadway said, “I like music, but enjoy silence better. One artist I’m into though is Josh Garrels.”
5. Treadway’s Death Has Led to an Outpouring of Emotion on Social Media
As news of Treadway’s death spread, there has been an outpouring of emotion regarding his death from friends and fans alike. Here are some of the most poignant messages:
I’m saddened to learn of the passing of professional skier Dave Treadway. Treadway was killed while crossing a snow bridge in the Whistler backcountry when it collapsed yesterday. He is survived by his wife, two children, and many friends across the ski world. He’ll be missed.
A great skier and surfer named Dave Treadway died in an avalanche today and you all should know he was a true original. Such an amazing person. #RIPTreadway
A great skier and surfer named Dave Treadway died in an avalanche today and you all should know he was a true original. Such an amazing person. #RIPTreadway
Our life can feel long while we live it. I bet it feels short at the end. When it’s cut short we send a ripple of love through the lives of our family and friends. Live like you mean it. #RIP to another legend. #DaveTreadway
Our hearts are heavy today after hearing the news of Dave Treadway’s passing away in the backcountry near Pemberton BC. hashttps://freeskier.com/stories/professional-skier-dave-treadway-killed-in-british-columbia
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Dave Treadway Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know