Chris
Hunnicutt
August
4, 1974 – January 30, 2007
Thoughts
& Memories of Friends & Co-workers
 On
January 30th, 2007, Black Diamond lost a family member,
fellow climber, employee and friend, Chris Hunnicutt.
Chris, a 32-year-old transplant to Salt Lake City, lost
his life while climbing Stairway
to Heaven (WI5) in Provo Canyon. An experienced
ice and rock climber, Chris was climbing with his partner
and was just topping-out the third pitch when he apparently
lost his footing. His last piece of protection was well
below him, resulting in a lead-fall of the entire pitch
where he struck a ledge and died on the scene.
To
say, “at least he died doing what he loves” is
a bit cliché. Nevertheless he loved living life
to the fullest. That and his infectious smile are what
will most be remembered about Chris. You could dig and
dig and never find a negative thing to say about the guy—but
words like “great, positive, friendly, unassuming,
caring, genuine, thoughtful and sincere” are just
some of the terms that best describe our lost friend.
 Chris,
originally from Virginia, had recently relocated from
Arizona to Salt Lake City to enjoy the abundant local
climbing and work as a Regional Dealer Sales and Service
Representative at Black Diamond. His quiet demeanor and
unassuming get-it-done attitude made him instantly well liked.
His death is a true loss for the Black Diamond family and
the local climbing community. Chris leaves behind his brother,
mother & father and many friends.
With shock and sadness at the tragic loss of a fellow
BD employee, and a great friend to many,
The
Black Diamond Family
P.S.
Thank you to all those who've sent their condolences
and fond wishes of support.
 Thoughts & Memories from
BD co-workers & friends
"Tuesday
January 30th 2007 will be a day we will long remember
for two reasons.
"It
was the final day of our F'07 Outdoor Retailer Tradeshow.
It was and remains one of our finest moments. It
was also the day that a wonderful, committed, passionate
and loved BD associate was killed while pursuing his love,
being in his element, "living the dream." Chris
Hunnicutt will leave an aching hole of love and loss
that can never be completely filled, and the implausible
news of this accident seemed surreal early Tuesday afternoon
and understandably zapped the day, the show and our lives
of the joy, pride and satisfaction that was ours to feel
and bask in. For sure, this is and will remain one of the
BD's saddest moments.
"I
ask you all to celebrate Chris's death in the way he
lived his life—like he was "living the dream."
Take joy in the fact that we are a family of friends where
the loss of a fellow associate is no less real than the
loss of a family member. That is unique and that makes
us special and that makes this painful. You can't have
one without the other."
—Peter
Metcalf
“I
woke up in the back of my truck, and I could tell by
the angle of the sun hitting the brilliant yellow leaves
of the cottonwood tree above that it was late in the
morning. Chris had slept out under the stars the night
before, and had probably been waiting for quite a while
for me to wake up. But he wasn’t impatient at all—he
was just sitting there in the sun, admiring the deep
red colors of the Indian Creek sandstone. He let me
get up and finish drinking my coffee before he broke
the news to me that I had a flat tire.
"Normally
I’d get upset about a flat tire in the
middle of the desert, but Chris had a sense of calm that
was contagious. We fixed it—laughing and joking
about it rather than cursing and complaining. He wasn’t
worried about it, so why should I get worked up? I thought
to myself, “I could learn something from this guy.
"Due
to my late wake up and the time we spent fixing the
flat in the desert sand, it was early afternoon before
we were ready to go climbing. I apologized for sleeping
in and holding him up, but he just said, calm and soft
spoken as always, ‘Don’t worry about it,
we still have time—let’s just make the best
of it.’ That was Chris…”
—Todd
Miller
“He
was great to work with but more importantly he was awesome
to hang out and climb with. Solid, dependable and modest
yet he'd still surprise you with ability, insight and
wit at times. The phrase get's thrown around a lot but
Chris was truly a ‘great guy’ and we all
will miss him greatly.”
—James
Loveridge
“Chris
was one of those people you love to have as a part of
your life. He was so passionate about everything he did.
When it came to work, no matter what was thrown at him,
he had the same gung ho response, ‘I’m
on it.' It was such a joy to work with someone who cared
as much as he did.”
—Catherine
Mataisz
"My
fondest memory of Chris will be driving to the crag together
on the weekends. Since Chris was so modest and quiet
it become my goal on the drive to dig up as much information
about him as possible. It was on those drives that I
really became friends with Chris and it’s
on those drives that I’ll miss him most. He was a
great soul with a heart of gold."
—Heath
Christensen
“When
it comes to climbing—quiet and unassuming; when it comes
to work—can-do, will-do ; when it
comes to being a person—thoughtful and kind. BD
will be empty without him.”
—Kolin
Powick
“Chris was probably one of the most sincerely thoughtful
people I have ever met; I think he always had others in
mind, which is something that I will never forget about
him.”
—Bobbi
Scott
“Chris
made a significant impact on me in the short time that I
new him. I think that sitting within arms reach of him, for
even that short bit of time, as well as spending time skiing
and just talking, helped me get some great insight into Chris
as a person. He will be missed for his great friendly, and
warm personality among many other qualities that he shared
with us over the past year. One of my favorite memories of
Chris was the day he offered (I'm sure sensing a bit of fatigue
in my appearance) to baby-sit my infant daughter. Now I only
wish I'd take him up on it. He is already greatly missed.”
—Russell
Slaugh
“He
was amiable, gracious, insightful, accommodating, and just
incredibly easy to get along with. He really was a pleasant
person to know, and I’ll miss him a lot…”
—Zoe
Greye
“I’m
just checking in to see if you’ve
made a decision yet and to let you know that I’m
psyched and ready to start when you make your decision.” I
can remember reading about thirty e-mails like this from
Chris as I ran him is through the ringer. He was psyched,
way psyched, to even have the chance to apply at BD and
I could tell by his efforts. He called every day, flew
to town for climbing (I know you were just looking for
work dude!), and he wrote e-mails…lots and lots
of e-mails. Even though I was 98% sure that he was my
man, I felt it was necessary to test him a little. Maybe
it was my ego, (something I never saw from Chris), or
maybe it was my stubbornness (again, something I never
saw). Either way I still ran him through the ringer and
he kept coming at me with that smile.
"At
the end of the search, RING... RING went the line and
in his most professional voice “Hello this is
Chris” he
said, “Chris this is Christian at BD, I wanted
to tell you that the job up here is yours if you still
want it.” His immediate response was, “When
can I start?” Next thing you know we were talking
about climbing and I’m inviting him on our annual
trip to Rifle for a weekend of boozin’ and crankin’. “Where
should I meet you?
"A
few days later the dude is dropping his car off at my
house and driving five hours to Rifle with a bunch of riff-raff
and hooligans. At first I thought it was just too much
too fast for such a quiet guy. I think he said three words
in the first four hours and 50 minutes and I was sure that
I had frightened him off. But that last ten minutes when
we turned the bend and saw that first wall in the canyon
you saw why the guy was holding back. What I eventually
learned to accept, as his standard smile got bigger than
you could imagine, was that he was content with just
soaking in the stoke of everyone else. That weekend we
all gained a friend. We drove away, not only having discovered
how solid of a climber he was, but more importantly how
solid he was as a person.
"Chris
worked with me over the next eight months and yeah, he
was an awesome guy to have on your team, with his “I’m
on it!” attitude… but what I will remember
most is his passion for having fun and more importantly
his constant smile and gratitude for life.
"Thanks
Chris (a.k.a. Wolverine a.k.a. Hunnicutt) I’ll
miss you!”
—Christian
Bacasa (a.k.a. CB)
“The
term 'genuine' seems
to be directly associated with Chris, his life, and his
memory. I could say a million positive things about Chris
in one day, and spend a lifetime searching for something
negative.
"On
a recent climbing adventure with Chris, I remember the
encouragement he provided. Whether I was struggling on
the easiest part of the climb or the crux, the encouragement
was always the same… he provided a very real and
positive vibe.
"In
the office and outside of work, Chris was the type of
person who was quick to compliment and encourage and
slow to criticize.
"He
was indeed genuine and one of kind and will be missed
terribly.”
—Jason
Horne
"No
doubt, the one image that will forever be engrained in
my mind is Chris' highly contagious smile... you couldn't
help but admire and feel the profound combination of warmth,
psych, and charisma it carried.
"Chris
was perpetually stoked on anything and everything involving
the mountains and the lifestyle that goes along with
them. He was equally enthusiastic to be part of the BD
family and we were lucky to have him here. He will be
deeply missed, and I consider myself truly lucky to have
had Chris in my life.”
—Matt
Ginley
“He
proved to be a friendly and sincere person. Not surprisingly,
Chris dedicated much of his time to getting out and enjoying
the world around him. He was a strong climber with a humble
demeanor, which is always testament to someone’s
solid character. The Black Diamond family will miss him.“
—Brett
Keyes
"Unflappable.
Concerned. Contributive. Appreciative. Affable. Words
for a man of few words. Always
with a coffee cup and a smile."
—Bill
Kubilius
"A
little bit shy and endlessly humble, Chris was a perfect
housemate and quickly became family. Chris’s
excitement about Wasatch climbing and skiing was endearing.
One evening, after Chris skied many thousands of vertical
feet in the backcountry, he looked at me and said,
'I’m
a little tired...' He seemed surprised.
"I
suggested he take the next day off to rest, and he said,
'Ok, yeah. I’ll just ski a little bit and maybe
just climb a couple pitches. It’ll be a rest day.'
"He
fit right in."
—Katie
Cavicchio
"When
I first met Chris, I thought he was just very shy because
he never said much and it seemed to take a truck to pull
any kind of remark out of him. It took me about a month
to realize he was one of those that preferred to say
little and soak up everything else. Quiet and unassuming,
he had one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen.
And I came to look forward to seeing that smile every
morning. Sometimes, I would look over my shoulder to
his desk and tease him a bit, just so he would throw
one of those smiles at me.
"BD
has hired some amazing people over the years and all
have left their mark on us, some more than others. I
have worked for BD for some time and although I do not
consider myself the greatest judge of character, I have
learned to trust my instincts about the people who come
and go at BD. What kind of mark will this person make?
How big a hole will someone else have to fill when that
person leaves? I knew that Chris's mark would be one
of the more memorable ones and the hole he has left in
our department and our hearts will be extremely hard
to fill."
—Kathy
Carpenter (KC)
"I
didn't have the opportunity to get to know Chris on a
deep level, but what I absolutely loved about him was
that he would always come into the BD store to say 'hi'
after a long day at work and just shoot the shit with
me about nothing in particular. Just the usual stuff;
where he'd been climbing, where I'd been climbing, what
we'd each been up to, and where each of our future travels
would take us. I will miss seeing him walk in the door,
and I will miss seeing his smile and that mop of brown
curls, and I will miss the opportunity we might have
had to share some adventures."
—Melissa
Lipani
"Thanks
for your tribute to Chris. I grew up with Chris in Arlington,
VA, across the street with him and Paul. We all began
climbing together and Chris quickly launched ahead of
Paul and me doing things that we thought impossible.
His talent for climbing quickly outpaced what I was comfortable
with, yet his encouragement never flagged even as he led
so I could climb with him and Paul at Seneca Rocks in West
Virginia. That day would be the last I would climb multi-pitch
climbs, and the details of the climb I hardly recall, save
for the constant encouragement and beta from Chris.
"His
loss is a terrible tragedy for all of us in Virginia
(especially 24th street). He will be missed."
—Sean
Cooleen
"I
was answering phone calls when Chris came up to front
desk. He had a smile on his face. When I got off the
phone he leaned near our radio up front and said with
sarcasm, 'Hey don't you think this
song is a little inappropriate for the work area?' I
looked at him with a smile and he laughed about it... I
will always remember Chris Hunnicutt and how fun he was
to work with."
—Kristina
Gallegos
"At
first we thought Chris was quiet and shy but with time
we were fortunate enough to be graced with his charm
and his wit. His love and passion for life shined in
his eyes and in his smile. He made ordinary days fun.
You could not help but wonder… did he smile all
the time because he cracked himself up too? You could always
see the wheels turning. It was such a pleasure to be a
part of his life. We will miss him dearly."
—Bernadette Serna & Brent Ingersoll
"The
hardest day yet was leaving BD yesterday to get on a
plane without meeting the parents and brother of a great
soul. In Chris’ short time at BD, his
energy and presence was so wonderful to be around. I never
took his quiet reserve so much as shyness, but this great
appreciation of life proven by his smile, an attitude that
made him so nice to be around. He made you feel important.
I feel a bit robbed that I never got to rope up or get
a bouldering session in with him, we only made it as far
as talking about the climbs that we wanted to do together.
"I’m
deeply honored that Bill and I were able to go back up,
slowly climb the route, get a feel for the harsh simplicity
of what happened, and have a last word with one of our
brothers lost.
"In
the year and a half that I’ve been with all of
you as an employee, I’ve come to truly appreciate
the remarkable family that you are.
"Life
is a fragile, amazing and constant state of unpredictable
choices. Peace…"
—Roger
Strong
"Chris
was an inspiration to me- no matter how busy or challenging
work was, he was always patient and even-keeled, with
that great smile on his face. He never hesitated to stop
and say hi. I really enjoyed working with Chris and my
only regret is that there wasn't more time to become
better friends."
—Kasie
Stallings
"Chris
brought out the Nice Guy in all of us. He didn't just
make you want to be a better climber but a better person.
If there is a Heaven, I hope it's filled with people
like Chris Hunnicutt."
-Jim Knight
"Where
to even begin… So many fond
memories. Chris moved in, and was super quiet and reserved
at first. Time and many adventures together in the
mountains opened Chris up and put smiles on both our faces.
He opened up at home, too, by taunting the dogs with gigantic
furry slippers, giving me a pocket “Mr. T” machine
for a long road trip, teaching me to play Super Mario brothers,
cooking breakfast for 5 a.m. dawn patrol starts, walking
downstairs and asking, 'Is that popcorn I smell?'
"He was just learning to backcountry ski and always was
completely fired up for another lap. I saw him totally
come alive during his last few months here in Utah; it
seemed like all aspects of his life were working out. At
work, completely overloaded, he’d still smile and
manage to 'get it done.' Climbing made him
happy, and Chris was spending a bunch of time at the gym
preparing for warmer weather to chase after the magic 5.13
grade. I’m sure he would have accomplished it, considering
his drive and desire.
"If he was around right now we’d be watching
the weather and talking about the best options for the
weekend."
—Brad Barlage
"Chris
used to always do his best to make me smile, or laugh.
Every morning I’d wake up, looking forward
to coming into work, just to see what he’d do that
day that’d crack me up. Each day, he’d come
in the front doors, with his cinnamon roll and coffee
in hand. He’d flash that smile and stop at the
front desk. He’d ask, “And how’s April
doing today?” He always made sure to ask at
least five times a day how my day was going.
"Some
of the more recent things he did to make me laugh—
"He
walked by the front desk, acted like he tripped, then continued
on as if he was going down a staircase. He wasn’t
coming back up, so I looked over the counter and he wasn’t
there. Then he jumped up from the sidewall to scare me.
"One
time I told him he was one of the few people, if not the
only one, that could sneak up on me without me knowing
about it. He told me he had ninja abilities and could disappear
and reappear at will. Not five minutes later he crept
around the corner into the front desk area, came right
up behind me, tapped my left shoulder and crouched
to the right. It made me jump a little, but not as much
as he’d hoped. I told
him he may have ninja abilities, but he wasn’t a
vampire. I saw his reflection in the front doors as he
was coming up behind me.
"Kristina
called me one afternoon while I was in HR. She asked if
I could come help with a problem with the copier. It turns
out, Chris wanted to do a specific thing, and wanted to
learn how— not just have someone do it for him.
Of course he didn’t say that until after I
had already done it for him. So, he asked me to go through
it all again, slowly, so he could see what I was doing.
I went through it all painfully slowly, just to tease a
bit. Then asked, “Did you get that, or do you want
to see it one more time.” He pushed me a little,
winked and said, “I got it April, I’m not that bad.”
"He
was always so professional about his work. He never forgot
to let anyone know when he’d be away or unavailable.
I loved getting one of his sales orders to enter in because
all of the information I needed was always there,
without fail! I never once had to call and ask about anything
on them.
"Chris
was always willing to help out, too. One night he found
me out in the parking lot trying to clean my windshield
off with snow because it was too horribly dirty to see
out of it and the sprayers were frozen, and he helped
me to clean it off.
"He
offered to take me climbing or skiing one day, since
he thought it was odd that I worked at BD and didn’t
know how to do either. I told him skiing could be good,
but I was a little wary of climbing. He said, 'Don’t
even worry about it—I’ll take care of you.'
"Sometimes
he’d bring me something to eat for breakfast.
Although I suspect that the one time he offered me half
of his cinnamon roll, it was to shut me up because I had
said something that stumped him and he didn’t know
how to reply.
"I’ll
miss his emails throughout the day, and sometimes into
the evening if we were both working late. I’ll
miss those weird little sound effects he’d make with
everything. I’ll miss talking to him, on the phone
and not. I’ll miss the way he made me feel like I
was better than I am. I’ll miss his smile. But most
of all, I’ll miss being his 'diamond in the
ruff.' "
—April
Schow
Donate to the Christopher Hunnicutt Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Learn More at www.chrishunnicutt.com.
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