B.C. avalanche victim identified as beloved Whistler pro snowboarder
Posted March 25, 2025 10:25 pm.
Last Updated March 26, 2025 8:02 am.
Forty-four-year-old Jeff Keenan of Whistler has been identified as one the three heli-skiers who died in a massive avalanche near Kaslo in B.C.’s West Kootenay region Monday.
Keenan, avid athlete and co-founder of his own snowboard brand, is being remembered fondly and widely for his impact on the mountain community in B.C.
North Vancouver’s own Mount Seymour Resort posted a tribute to Keenan on social media, remembering his part in a crew, known as The Skids, that “helped define snowboarding” in the 1990s and 2000s.
More recently, the resort says, he helped develop the ‘Baked Salmon Banked Slalom’ annual event on Mount Seymour.
Snowboarding magazine King Snow describes Keenan as “the kindest, most passionate and empathetic soul there ever was” in its tribute.
“His contributions to snowboarding were immense, yet they paled in comparison to the impact and love he shared with his family and friends.”
Ski Magazine reports Keenan’s legacy as a snowboarder who “loomed larger than life.”
Keenan was a partner to pro snowboarder Leanne Pelosi, with whom he had a child, and a co-founder of the snowboard gear brand Dinosaurs Will Die.
On March 24, he and a group of skiers were caught in a sudden avalanche near the Clute Creek watershed.
Also identified in Keenan’s group was 45-year-old pro snowboarder Alex Pashley of Idaho.
American outdoor clothing and gear company The North Face posted a tribute to Pashley Tuesday.
“Pashley brought an irreplaceable sense of levity to the most difficult expeditions. His search for adventure will forever guide us,” said the North Face on social media.
Despite rescue efforts, Keenan, Pashley and a 53-year-old guide from Kaslo, were found dead.
A fourth man, 40, from Nelson was critically injured, police say.
