She may be beautiful but she is also hostile when she wants to be.

I am opening this weeks post up with an advisory. This week has been extremely difficult and writing this is no easy task.

I want to be upfront with you all so you can choose if you continue to read on. A very sad thing happened this week and I want to try and share with you in the most sympathetic way possible.

A young man lost his life. Rest In Peace Corey.

I have been putting off writing about this for a couple of weeks now as I really wasn’t sure what to say or how to even explain.

The seasonaire life is full of people that you live in really close proximity to for a huge portion of the year and yet many of those people will become just a face you recognise but who’s name you will never learn.

Its a truly odd environment to live and work in. A mix of a continual freshers week and a never ending holiday with a bit of work thrown in.

On January 22nd I met a fellow seasonaire on my way up to the mountain for a day of skiing. We got talking. Shared our stories. Later that night I saw him and his friend (Corey) in my local pub.

A face but no name. A shared experience but our own little worlds.

The very next morning I woke to a desperate plea on social media to help find Corey.

Corey was 24 years old when he died in a tragic accident after a night out with friends when when he became lost from his group and fell into a crevice.

I didn’t know Corey but the shock reverberated around the entire resort. Seasonaires and locals alike joined search parties to try and find him before it was too late.

The impact of his death was quite profound.

Grief affects us all differently. The magnitude of my sadness, for someone I didn’t know blindsided me.

A young life gone. Taken from this beautiful place and leaving behind a brand new sense of apprehension that whilst she may be beautiful she is also hostile.

My heart goes out to his family and friends but if they can take anything from this horrible accident its that we seasonaires have a better appreciation for how fragile life is.

Our transient population has become so much more aware. This can be a dangerous environment to live in and there is a feeling now that even if we don’t take a moment to learn each others names we will still look out for each other.

We are a slightly odd and dysfunctional family but we are a family all the same. We shared, we cried and we drank to Corey and celebrated the legacy he left behind for us.

Its a week that shall remain in my memory and I send love and hugs to his family.