It is hard to fill the hole left by Dave Tan, who died when he fell from a ridge while hiking the Armchair Traverse in Whistler on Aug. 9.
It was just a fluke of bad luck that the experienced and cautious Squamish rock climber and hiker stepped on a rock that gave way, says Tan's friend and housemate, Oscar Radevsky.
"Dave was the most sure-footed, capable, confident climber ever. And, also, his work was in rope access, doing rock scaling for a mine in northern B.C., so literally, his entire job is being on cliffs and being around rocks. So no one knows the mountains and the rocks better than Dave—it's just a freak occurrence," he said.
Tan, who grew up in Lions Bay, was employed by Brucejack gold mine, located north of Smithers when he passed away.
He also worked doing rigging for concerts and shows.
The tragic incident traumatized his beloved spouse, Pim Shaitosa, who was with him, as well as his friends and his community in Squamish and beyond.
But it is the void the "warm and friendly" 28-year-old left that Radevsky stressed when reached by phone on Aug. 13.
Tan had travelled to many parts of the world on various adventures and was always open to helping others achieve their goals, big or small, Radevsky said.
For example, when Radevsky rock-climbed Stawamus Chief for the first time with Tan and another friend, Tan was cheering him on.
"It was my first time, and it was their 200th time or something," Radevsky recalled. "I was shaky and trying to find my way. Dave was giving me reassurance, giving me advice: 'Put your foot there. You're doing great!'"
That is the kind of guy Tan was to his loved ones and friends, Radevsky said.
Overwhelming support
Radevsky organized an online fundraiser to help support Shaitosa in the aftermath of losing her partner.
Within days, the campaign has raised close to $53,000, as of Aug. 15, overwhelming Radevsky with the generosity of so many.
"What a testament to how much Dave was loved [by] his people, and how much we all care about Pim's well-being," Radevsky wrote on the GoFundMe page,.
Having far exceeded the original goal of $10,000, Radevsky said the additional funding will also help Shaitosa with her fledgling business of resoling climbing shoes as she recovers from the devastating loss, and for trauma counselling for close friends of Tan.
Radevsky also spoke about the kindness and professionalism of the medical teams who helped in the aftermath of the fall, specifically Whistler SAR.
“The search and rescue teams that responded to the call were really excellent,” he said. “There was a doctor named Dr. Renata [Lewis], who was just such a brilliant person and presence out there.”
Radevsky said what strikes him about the groundswell of support and grief for Tan is that, in life, sometimes he had struggled to understand how much he meant to others.
"It's a real shame that David isn't here to see how much everyone loved him,” Radevsky said. “He sometimes struggled with that, which is painful to think about. Maybe the lesson from all of this is that we should tell our friends and family we love them more often. Check in on your homies. Be more intentional in showing your people that you care about them.”
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