Jess Fenton ROSKELLEY

1982 - 2019

ROSKELLEY, Jess Fenton Jess Fenton Roskelley was born in Spokane, WA on July 13, 1982. He graduated from Mt. Spokane High School in the year 2001 and attended the University of Montana for two years before embarking on an expedition to climb Mt. Everest with his father in 2003. Jess became the youngest American to climb the peak at the time, which was the defining moment in his career as a professional alpinist. Jess lived by Ernest Shackleton's family motto, Fortitudine Vincimus "by endurance we conquer." He was considered to be one of the best alpinists in the world. He spent the better part of his life climbing around the world and has first ascents across South America, Alaska, Asia and the Canadian Rockies. Between climbing expeditions, Jess was an inspector-certified welder, specializing in very technical high-angle rope-access jobs, and spent 7 years working on the north slope of Alaska as a mechanic and welder. He also guided for RMI on Mt. Rainier for 3 seasons and was the first snowboard ski patroller on Mt. Spokane. Jess had a kind soul and a sense of humor that rivaled Jim Carey, and a heart as big as the mountains he climbed. His integrity was unparalleled, and his love and loyalty to his family and his climbing partners was unmatched. His love for the mountains was only rivaled by the love he had for his wife, Allison, and his English bulldog, Mugs. Jess's life came to an end during a tragic climbing accident on Howse Peak in the Canadian Rockies on April 16, 2019. At the time, he was attempting to summit the peak with Austrian alpinists David Lama and Hansjörg Auer, also The North Face athletes. The three had successfully reached the summit at 12:43pm in record time, and evidence suggests that they were swept off the mountain on the descent. We will never know for sure what happened on that afternoon. The family would like to send their utmost gratitude to the first responders and assisting agencies of Parks Canada, including the RCMP, Visitor Safety Specialist and Brooke, the avalanche dog who located the climbers. They would also like to share their appreciation for the climbing community; his devoted life-long friends and climbing partners; and the teams from Jess's athlete sponsors The North Face, LOWA and DMM who have gone above and beyond in offering their sincere love and assistance to the family during this time. Additionally, the Roskelley family's deepest condolences go out to the families of David Lama and Hansjörg Auer of Austria. Jess was ecstatic to climb with these two men, who he looked up to and highly respected. Jess is survived by his wife, Allison; his father and mother, John and Joyce; his two sisters, Jordan and Dawn; and his two dogs, Mugs and Bentley. The way in which Jess felt about climbing is best said in his own words: "Mountains help me navigate what is most important to me. They balance the chaos that is regular life. Balance is what I strive to accomplish with climbing a balance of life, love and mountains. Alpine climbing is a life-long commitment. I live and breathe it." Jess Roskelley.