Early mornings, late nights and the anticipation of the next weather cycle. Breaking trail, first tracks and a need for the unknown. These phenomena inspire Patagonia‘s innovative film series #Find_Away. The latest instalment is AK Girls Way:
This short film is dedicated to the memory of Liz Daley – pro climber, mountain guide, and splitboarder – who was lost to an avalanche in Argentina. The 29-year-old native of Tacoma, Washington was descending the 7000-foot Cerro Vespignani near Mount Fitzroy in September of last year when the avalanche struck. In a tragic coincidence, we lost Daley on the same day that freeskiers JP Auclair and Andreas Fransson perished in an avalanche in Chile.
To honour Liz Daley, a scholarship fund has been created to support women who “Live Like Liz”. Donate at www.livelikeliz.com.
“She hid nothing and held nothing back,” writes freeskier and friend Drew Tabke, who was with her on the day she died. “In a world of people who wear masks, Liz was always Liz. If she liked you, she liked you. And if she didn’t, she’d probably let you know, though I’m just guessing as I never saw that happen…. There was simply no hurdle you could put in front of her to slow her down. Crippling tendonitis in her feet one season? Pushed through the pain and overcame it. Paying for seasons in Chamonix before she had sponsors by working 70-hour weeks at restaurants, tree-trimming crews, and more recently, guiding? Did it all without breaking a sweat. She progressed so fast, flew so high, burned so bright, it was hard to believe she was even from this planet.”
