World-famous Spokane climber Jess Roskelley died in an avalanche on April 16, 2019, along with Austrian climbers David Lama and Hansjörg Auer. The trio was attempting to repeat the difficult route “M16” on Howse Peak in the Canadian Rockies first climbed by Steve House, Scott Backes, and Barry Blanchard in 2000.
Jess Roskelley was much more than a climber, and Out There Outdoors has plans to highlight his contributions to the Inland Northwest outdoors community in an upcoming issue. Meanwhile, the climbing world is still reeling from this tragic blow. All three of the climbers belonged to The North Face Global Athlete Team and were loved members of the mountaineering community. All of them also made significant contributions to alpine climbing. Without a doubt, this has been one of the most heartbreaking tragedies to strike the outdoor adventure community in recent times. Their passing touches all of us. //
