We are sad to announce that the climbing community lost two important climbers from our community over the past two days. Although we did not know them personally, our thoughts go out to their families and all those climbers we do know that were able to share experiences with them.
A statement was released by the Kennedy family and included below:
Having lived for 27 years with the great joy and spirit that was Hayden Kennedy, we
share the loss of our son and his partner Inge Perkins as the result of an avalanche
in the southern Madison Mountains near Bozeman, Montana, on October 7th.
Inge Perkin’s body was recovered by the Gallatin County Search & Rescue at the
base of Mt. Imp on October 9th. Hayden survived the avalanche but not the
unbearable loss of his partner in life. He chose to end his life. Myself and his mother
Julie sorrowfully respect his decision.
Hayden truly was an uncensored soul whose accomplishments as a mountaineer
were always secondary to his deep friendships and mindfulness.
He recently moved to Bozeman to work on his EMT certification while Inge completed
her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and education at Montana State University.
Julie and I are on our way to Bozeman from Europe, as are Inge’s mother and
stepfather. Memorial arrangements are still pending
For those following the details of the story, a number of different accounts have been released by various media outlets.
For the clearest narrative, Black Diamond Equipment released a statement earlier today.
Rock and Ice reported a similar story with greater detail of the avalanche, noting that Inge was buried ‘under three feet’ of snow, while Hayden was only partially buried. The article also indicated that after not being about to find Inge’s body, Hayden hiked out of the area. Outside Magazine reported a similar narrative but noted that the pair triggered the avalanche themselves, which was also reported by the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. The article also indicated that Hayden left a detailed note for the rescue team as to where to find Inge’s body, which was later recovered by the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center