Today marks one year since professional skier Dave Treadway tragically passed away in a crevasse accident in the Pemberton backcountry. He was 34.
Treadway left behind two sons, Kasper and Raffi, then-pregnant wife Tessa, and a larger-than-life legacy. In the days following the accident, friends and family remembered the skilled skier for his kind, welcoming spirit, his commitment to his family, his mantra to "chase life," and above all, his faith.
On a GoFundMe page in support of the family (which has raised nearly $356,000 to date), Tessa posted an update on the first anniversary of his passing.
"This year has been extremely challenging and extremely beautiful," she wrote. "Becoming a single mother, giving birth to our third son, learning to bank and fix snowmobiles, and trying to create a home where we can grieve, heal and feel loved."
As she recalled, Dave's last post to social media featured a quote his mom had shared with him, that says, "the sweet isn't as sweet without the sour."
"Every time I hear my boys laugh, see them smile and watch them experience joy, the 'sweet' almost overwhelms me and that is beautiful," Tessa continued. "The love and support that has rallied around our family; food, dirt bikes, surf trips, we have been so Loved and that [is] beautiful."
That update was accompanied by a three-minute video of Dave skiing with son Kasper, that, according to Tessa, was shot just two weeks prior to Dave's passing.
In the video, Dave talks about his love for skiing and the freedom it offers, as well as his love, more specifically, for skiing with his son. The footage also shows Kasper ripping turns through the park and flying off side hits, clearly on track to follow in his dad's freeskiing footsteps.
"I would like my kids to love the outdoors and love playing in the mountains, but don't care if they're chasing a prio-skier career," Dave says in the clip. "That's not my goal for them, my goal is that they simply have a deep love for nature and the outdoors."
The father also shared his biggest piece of advice for Kasper. "It's love God, and love each other," he said. "Through that you'll love this world and all it has to offer, and not let anything get in the way of you doing that, so chase it."
As Tessa wrote in the GoFundMe post, "We held [the video] back as we were not ready to share this treasure with the world, but feel now is the perfect time. I hope you enjoy it, learn from it, share it and Chase Life!"
