SPOKANE, Wash. — Allison Roskelley, the wife of Spokane climber Jess Roskelley who died in an avalanche in Alberta's Banff National Park last week, has released her first public statement since her husband's death via Facebook.
Allison made the post on Tuesday night. Parks Canada found the bodies of Jess Roskelley, David Lama and Hansjörg Auer on Sunday and confirmed their identities Monday.
World-renowned climbers Roskelley, Lama and Auer were attempting to climb the east face of Howse Peak on the Icefields Parkway in Canada on April 16.
"I’ve been struggling to put the right words together to express how I feel. There is so much more that I want to say than this, but here is my best effort in this moment," Allison said.
She went on to talk about her memories of her husband Jess and express the sadness of his loss.
"This last week has been an unimaginable nightmare. My heart is shattered and my chest aches in a way I never knew could be real," she wrote.
Her full statement is contained in the post below.
Outdoor apparel companies are also reacting to the death of Spokane native, Jess Roskelley and two other climbers.
All three climbers were part of The North Face Global Athlete Team.
The North Face paid tribute to Roskelley on Instagram.
"Always game for adventure, Jess would show up with a smile, excited to climb. He balanced a constant dedication to progression on the mountain with a one of a kind sense of humor and deep dedication to practical jokes. The love he had for the mountains was only matched by his love for his wife, Allison and his bulldog, Mugs," the statement said in part.
Read The North Face's full statement below:
Patagonia Climb also reacted to the news on Instagram.
Their statement said in part, "We are a small and intimate community, united by a shared devotion to the essential experience of wild places. It;s here that our deepest friendships are formed, our partners become family, and we continue to be humbles by the intensity of mountains."
Read Patagonia Climb's full statement below: