Heidi Kloos
On March 30, 2010, Heidi Kloos, 41, was killed close to her home in Colorado when an avalanche struck as she was skiing in to take a look at a new ice climbing route on Mt. Blady. Heidi was one of a handful of American women to become an American Alpine Guide Association (AMGA) certified alpine guide.
In 2008, Heidi was my ice climbing instructor in Ouray, Colorado, where we spent just two days together. From what I could tell in that short time, she was an incredibly strong woman, in both sport and spirit. When she told me she would only attempt Everest in Nepal, not China, and without supplemental oxygen, I told her I admired her convictions but joked that I apparently didn't have any. She spent the next two days pointing out my convictions.
Heidi climbed for a living and loved it. The understatement of the year is that she was strong. I admired her immensely. She only seemed to care that I learned what I came there to learn and enjoyed doing it. I did.
When I told her I was done climbing and that she should have a turn on the ice, she seemed somewhat surprised but elated. I took photos of her scaling a wall in minutes that would have taken me hours if I had even dared to attempt it. She intentionally chose a circuitous and difficult route to show me techniques.
Then I told her she should find another color for her jacket because black does not photograph well. I got the expected look and chuckle.
What I love about most mountain guides, Heidi especially, is that they climb year round and have been everywhere multiple times, and yet they still are excited for those of us who finally reach the summit of Aconcagua or get a chance on Everest. Even though Heidi's climbing objectives were far more ambitious than mine, she still wanted me to reach my goal of climbing Everest with supplemental oxygen on whatever route I tried.
Here are some excerpts from an article in Rock and Ice Magazine:
“She was not so much about summitting,” said close friend Sherri Silvera. “She was completely about being in the mountains. It didn’t matter if you were a great climber; she had just as much fun with anyone who was pushing their physical limits."
Most recently, Kloos had been inspired by her work guiding disabled veterans on the slopes of Denali. The program is run by the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program in conjunction with Mountain Trip, for whom Kloos was a regular guide; she had been looking forward to returning to Denali with TASP this summer.
In addition to her love of mountains, Kloos was known as a strong horsewoman and lover of animals. “There wasn’t an animal that she couldn’t befriend, I think,” said Irene Kloos. “She just loved animals.”
Kloos’ brother Eddie passed away in a kayaking accident in 1996, and her fiancé, climber Dave Bridges, was killed in an avalanche in Tibet with Alex Lowe in 1999. Kloos’ father, longtime ski patroller at Snowmass Mountain, died in January 2010. Kloos leaves behind her mother, Irene Kloos of Arizona; her brother Andy Kloos and his wife, of Colorado Springs; her niece and nephew, Stephanie and Adam; and a cadre of friends, climbing partners, clients and pets.
A memorial scholarship fund is being established through Mountain Trip for the Telluride Adaptive Sports Program. Donations in memory of Heidi Kloos may be made to TASP (contact Mountain Trip, 866-886-8747 or 970-369-1153), as well as to Ouray Mountain Rescue (970-318-8872).
