Anyone that skis or rides Alpine Meadows is a friend of Bill Foster. Although I did not know him personally, Bill was a part of the awesome team that keeps our mountain safe day in and day out, rain, snow or shine. Sadly, Bill’s number came up during avalanche control activities on Sherwood December 24th.
Bill had been a patroller at Alpine Meadows since 1987 and was the founding member and lead trainer for Alpine Meadows avalanche rescue dog team. Bill was a master of training dogs for patrol work, including his own dogs Kyle and Riley. Clearly this made Bill a very popular member of the Alpine Meadows Ski Patrol. He was well known on the mountain by staff as well as long time Alpine Meadows skiers and boarders. The tears and hugs on Christmas day made it clear how much he will be missed.
A public celebration of Bill’s life has been set for Friday, January 4th at 5pm at the Alpine Meadows lodge. We expect that it will be a crowded event as many people have been asking me to post information as soon as it is available. We encourage you to attend and show your love and support for Bill, and to let the Alpine Meadows staff know how much we care about them.
The family of Bill Foster has requested that donations in Bill’s name be made to the Bill Foster Memorial Fund at the Sierra Avalanche Center. Donations will support ongoing avalanche education and can be made online at the Sierra Avalanche Center site.
There also has been a benefit fund set up to support the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe. Donations will support the construction of a new shelter facility. Donations can be made at their site
.
My husband and I, along with the entire Alpine Freeride team and many others, were doing laps on an empty Scott Chair that day, watching patrollers go up and anxiously waiting for them to Open Sherwood. We would have been one of the first groups back there for sure. Your ultimate sacrifice saved the lives of so many and you do so everyday. Words cannot express our gratitude or our sadness in the loss of a great man..
What happened to him? Tribute does not tell. Were his dogs killed too? Mountain skiing certainly seems to be a very risky sport, but probably no more so than driving amidst the New Years revelers??
Creating a safe mountain for the rest of us to enjoy is dangerous work. Here’s a starting link: http://unofficialalpine.com/?p=951
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