Tony Seibert
Obituaries
Denver Post page 1A - January 8, 2014
Vail scion killed in slide, by Ryan Parker, Kieran Nicholson and Jason Blevins
Vail Daily page A2 - January 8, 2014
VAIL — Tony Seibert lived his life laughing and smiling, and that Vail snowball didn't fall far from the tree.
Seibert, 24, was Vail founder Pete Seibert's grandson and Pete Jr. and Teri's son. Tony died in an avalanche Tuesday in the East Vail Chutes.
When Battle Mountain's soccer team took the field, someone — usually one of the Petes — would almost always holler at coach Dave Cope, "Watch out for the Seibert boys. They have a streak of Pete in 'em!"
"I'm glad we had the chance to watch Tony play because Tony was a heckuva player to watch," Cope said.
It was fun to watch Tony do anything because, well … the kid was fun to watch.
Tony played BMHS soccer for three years, and they won league titles all three years. His brother Petey and his twin sister Anna also played Husky soccer, but his sister Lizzy was his hero. He said so himself.
There was this short profile published in the Vail Daily that asked all sorts of questions. One was, "Who's your hero?"
Tony answered, "My little sister Lizzy Seibert because she's the captain of the Berry Creek football team."
"Tony was this big, outsized personality. He was one of those kids who could take over a locker room, or a bus ride or a huddle," Cope said. "Coaches sometimes just stepped back because kids were going to follow him."
His junior year, Tony was injured in a soccer match against Glenwood and his season was through — but it wasn't really. He traveled to a playoff game against Conifer — a game they were supposed to lose — and Tony was in the locker room at halftime shouting encouragement, "We can do this! We can win this!"
"He'll only grow in stature. His teammates will remember him for the rest of their lives," Cope said.
Tony played center back and began a tradition of great Husky players at that position that continues to this day, Cope said.
"A big part of Husky soccer history is Tony."
A Lifetime of smiles
"We've known each other so long I don't know when my memories of him begin," John O'Neill said.
The two graduated from Battle Mountain in 2008, and they remained close.
"He was one of the best skiers in the valley … ever, and not just racing. He knew that mountain and how to ski every part of it. Knowing how much Tony loved skiing, that was life for him."
Two other 2008 Battle Mountain graduates have also died.
Todd Walker was murdered in Boulder when he was visiting a friend and walking a woman home from a party.
Graham Bultemeier, born and raised in the Eagle Valley, died from head injuries sustained in a longboard accident.
"A lot of people are leaning on each other right now," O'Neill said.
Hunter Schleper is one of the valley natives who grew up skiing with Tony.
"I saw him a couple days ago and he was happy. He was skiing," Schleper said.
On Tuesday, Tony was geared up with all the right equipment and knew the East Vail Chutes as well as anyone alive. And yet …
"He's the last person I would have expected to get caught in an avalanche," Schleper said. "He definitely died doing what he loves."
His friend Scott Klumb posted a video Wednesday night that he and Tony put together. The video can be found at http://bit.ly/seibertvideo.
"Tony Seibert was an amazing person," Klumb said. "I loved every moment I spent around Tony and so did his friends and family. He was always so uplifting and caring for others. You will be greatly missed, Tony, and my thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family."
The recurring theme is found in comments from dozens of his friends.
"Truly one of the most amazing people I had the pleasure of knowing, such an immeasurably great soul. You will always be loved my friend, and will never be forgotten. The times we shared will be with me forever, as will you." — Ian Connelly
"I will forever remember your infectious smile and awesome personality!" — Beth Anne Scholpy
"We share the best of times and the worst of times in the mountains. My thoughts are with your family." — Mark Welegos
"It was great growing up over the years with you. Words can't explain how in shock and how sad I am amongst your friends as well. Thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family". — Tony Klumb
"Thoughts and prayers are with your family! You will be missed. Glad I had the opportunity to grow up with you and know you! Watch over everyone else who enjoys the backcountry as much as you did."
— Haleigh Armstrong
Climb to Glory star
Local extreme skier Chris Anthony co-starred alongside Tony in the Warren Miller-produced documentary about the famed 10th Mountain Division, "Climb to Glory."
It was set to play at the Vilar Performing Arts Center on Thursday night, but has been postponed to honor Seibert with a tribute version of that film, recrafted with a strong educational message.
During filming, Tony said he was proud to strap on the same gear his grandfather wore as a soldier in the famed 10th Mountain Division. As they filmed and he skied in those antique skies and boots, his esteem for his grandfather and the soldiers of the 10th grew, as did his frustration with the gear.
"Oh my God, this is what those guys were on?" Tony asked.
"He was really fun to work with," Anthony said. "It was fun to see a young kid who was talented and grew up in our sport and our community really start to appreciate everything more, skiing, the outdoors, really falling in love with it. … We really, really want to put out the education to our youth and people in general in our community and this environment about our backyard, our playground, not to scare but to educate on how to properly play in this backyard/playground. Respect it. I don't think we should be scared, there doesn't need to be any new laws, we just need to pre-empt, educate and guide. As equipment is changing and evolving, people want to explore more and dip into these places more and we just need to educate."
Chris Jarnot, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Vail Mountain, called Tony's death a shocking and terrible tragedy.
"Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to Tony's entire family," he said.
He said the Seibert family, beginning with Vail founder Pete Seibert Sr., is integral to the community's fabric. Jarnot called "Climb to Glory" "a tribute not only to the famed 10th Mountain Division and his family's legacy, but to a wonderful albeit tragically too short life."
"This is an incomprehensible loss and we will support the Seibert family and our community through this difficult time," Jarnot said.
Pete Seibert Sr. first saw the mountain that would become Vail when his friend Earl Eaton, a valley native, brought him there in 1957. Seibert moved forward with finding investors, securing the land at the base and organizing construction. Vail Mountain opened in December 1962. Pete Sr. died in 2002.
On behalf of the town of Vail, Mayor Andy Daly extended the community's deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to the Seibert family, noting the tremendous impact and passion for skiing the family has had in Vail over three generations.
"Words can hardly describe the heartfelt sadness we feel upon learning of this tragic loss," he said.
Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 or rwyrick@vaildaily.com.
Vail Daily page A3 - January 8, 2014
VAIL — An avalanche in the East Vail Chutes has left the 24-year-old grandson of Vail's founder dead.
Tony Seibert, of Vail, died in the slide, which happened shortly after 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to Eagle County Coroner Kara Bettis. Seibert is the grandson of Vail founder Pete Seibert.
Three other skiers were injured in the avalanche and have been released from the hospital, according to the Eagle County Sheriff's Office.
Bettis said the cause of death will be determined after an autopsy Wednesday.
"This is a shocking and terrible tragedy," said Chris Jarnot, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Vail Mountain. "Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to Tony's entire family. I want to acknowledge how integral the Seibert family is to the fabric of our community; their contributions to Vail date back to Vail founder Pete Seibert, Tony's grandfather. This is an incomprehensible loss and we will support the Seibert family and our community through this difficult time. Tony had recently starred in 'Climb to Glory,' a documentary that will forever be a tribute not only to the famed 10th Mountain Division and his family's legacy but to a wonderful albeit tragically too short life."
Pete Seibert Sr., a 10th Mountain Division veteran of World War II, first saw the mountain that would become Vail when his friend Earl Eaton, a valley native, brought him there in 1957. Seibert moved forward with finding investors, securing the land at the base, and organizing construction. Vail Mountain opened in December 1962.
Vail Mayor Andy Daly extended the community's condolences, thoughts and prayers to the Seibert family, noting the tremendous impact and passion for skiing the family has had in Vail over three generations.
"Words can hardly describe the heartfelt sadness we feel upon learning of this tragic loss," he said.
The East Vail Chutes is an out-of-bounds area accessible through a gate from the lift-served area of Vail Mountain. It is popular with backcountry skiers but has been the site of numerous avalanche fatalities over the years.
The avalanche danger in the area is rated as considerable. Experts say slides there are becoming harder to trigger but when slides develop they are very large and dangerous.
"One of the problems we're dealing with over the last two days is windloading," said Spencer Logan with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. "We've had a few small storms accompanied by very strong winds and that drift the snow into slabs two to four feet thick. Those are on top of the snowpack, and on the bottom of the snowpack we have a really weak foundation, we have early season snow that sat on the ground, and it gets really weak in cold weather, and then we've had some pretty good snowfall in December that's covered that."
Logan said the Colorado Avalanche Information Center has a team of forecasters heading out to the site of today's slide on Wednesday to gather facts and information about the incident.
Five people have died in avalanches in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana in the last two weeks.
This story will be updated.
Vail Daily page A2 - January 9, 2014
VAIL — The avalanche that killed a lifetime local was likely unpredictable and big enough to damage a house, said the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
Tony Seibert, 24, died Tuesday when he was caught in an avalanche in the East Vail Chutes. He was skiing there with three friends, who were all injured in the slide.
"We have these persistent weak layers and sometimes they stick around. They fail and break in surprising and unpredictable ways," said the Colorado Avalanche Information Center's Brian Lazar.
The slide that killed Seibert occurred on an east-facing slope, about 11,400 feet above sea level, Lazar said. It followed several days of storms that dumped snow into those East Vail faces, most of which face east.
"Most of the snow came in on westerly winds, which means it was loading and drifting on these leeward aspects," Lazar said.
MEASURING AVALANCHES
The avalanche center's preliminary estimates are that the slide was a D-3 on the agency's destructive scale. That's big enough to knock a car or truck off the road, knock over trees or damage a wood frame house, Lazar said.
LAZAR SAID ITS PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE IS BASED ON PHOTOS AND INFORMATION AVAILABLE WEDNESDAY MORNING. A TEAM OF INVESTIGATORS IS ON THE SCENE, LAZAR SAID.
"The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has people in the field right now, trying to determine how big the avalanche was and want caused it," Lazar said.
Avalanches a rated on a scale from one to five — one is the smallest and poses little or no danger; five is big enough to level an entire village, Lazar said.
"We don't have fives because the terrain isn't tall enough," Lazar said. "However, it doesn't take an avalanche even as big as a three to cause injury or death."
Last year's Sheep Creek avalanche near Loveland Pass was a D-3, Lazar said. It killed five people — Colorado's the worst avalanche accident since 1962 in Twin Lakes — and is the worst ever involving backcountry skiers and riders.
The avalanche center has raised the avalanche to "considerable" for Vail and Summit.
Seibert is the grandson of Vail founder Pete Seibert. The other three skiers were treated and released from the hospital, according to the Eagle County Sheriff's Office.
Lazar said they accessed the chute from a backcountry gate in the Vail ski area, as most do, but were outside the ski area boundary when they were swept away in the slide.
ABOUT THE EAST VAIL CHUTES
The avalanche covered all of CDC — Charlie's Death Chute — in the popular East Vail Chutes area. It broke 15 feet at the crown and ran hundreds of feet, almost to the bottom, said Dan Smith, with Vail Mountain Rescue Group. The terrain in CDC is steep, 35-39 degrees, with an east to east-northeast aspect just at treeline.
The East Vail Chutes is an out-of-bounds area accessible through a gate from the lift-served area of Vail Mountain. It is popular with backcountry skiers, but has been the site of eight avalanche fatalities in the last three decades.
A Jan. 4, 2008, avalanche in the same area killed 27-year-old Jesse Brigham. That slide contained a hard slab 2 to 7 feet deep and 130 feet wide, and ran 800 vertical feet, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
Spencer Logan with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the cold weather that's typical in January weakens the early season snow layers.
"On the bottom of the snowpack we have a really weak foundation," Logan said. "We have early season snow that sat on the ground, and it gets really weak in cold weather, and then we've had some pretty good snowfall in December that's covered that."
The storms that came through our area on Saturday and Sunday didn't help, Logan said.
"One of the problems we were dealing with over the last two days is windloading," Logan said Tuesday night. "We've had a few small storms accompanied by very strong winds and that drifts the snow into slabs 2 to 4 feet thick. Those are on top of the snowpack."
Five people have died in avalanches in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana in the last two weeks.
Staff Writer John LaConte contributed to this report. Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 and rwyrick@vaildaily.com.
Vail Daily page A6 - January 10, 2014
Joy and tragedy on the razor's edge, by Kent Rychel [opinion]
Vail Daily page A6 - January 10, 2014
Nothing promised in life, by Don Rogers [opinion]
Vail Daily page A4 - January 10, 2014
VAIL — Friends and family will celebrate Tony Seibert's life on Monday, and there's a lot to celebrate.
The celebration is set for 6 p.m. at Eagle's Nest, atop the ski mountain his grandfather founded. The gondola will remain open to provide access.
To gauge Tony Seibert's passion for the mountains, look no further than his lineage.
Seibert is the grandson of Vail founder Pete Seibert Sr., and the son of Pete Jr. and Teri, who passed the family passion down to their four children. Tony Seibert died Tuesday in an avalanche while skiing the East Vail Chutes. He was 24.
He was geared up with avalanche gear, including beacons, officials said Thursday.
Tony Seibert starred in two Warren Miller films, "Flow State" in 2012 and "Climb to Glory," a 2013 documentary and tribute to the famed 10th Mountain Division and the Seibert family's legacy, as well as Tony Seibert's tragically short life.
"Climb to Glory" is scheduled for a Jan. 30 screening in Beaver Creek's Vilar Center. The doors open at 7 p.m.
In "Climb to Glory," Tony Seibert speaks glowingly about his family legacy and being Pete's grandson.
"We share the same passion my grandfather and his uncle shared 70 years ago," Tony Seibert says in the film. "You can tell it lives on through us. It's a different generation, but we share the same passion for the mountains and skiing."
"I'm really proud to be a descendant. Everything they have done has affected my life so much. That's the reason I am who I am today."
According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, since 1950, avalanches have killed more people in Colorado than any other natural hazard. In the past two weeks, five people have died in avalanches in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the avalanche that killed Seibert and injured three other skiers was "unpredictable," and that it was big enough to damage a house and knock a car off a road.
Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 or rwyrick@vaildaily.com.
Vail Daily page A2 - January 11, 2014
A tragic moment in time. Tony Seibert was among dozens of skiers who lap the East Vail Chutes, by Randy Wyrick
Vail Daily page A6 - January 14, 2014
Seibert.
It's the name that means so much.
The name of the victim in last Tuesday's devastating avalanche could have been completely anonymous, some young man who had just moved here from Kansas, enjoying his first season in the mountains.
But it was not.
It was, and still is, Seibert.
And that is why those outside of our valley paid attention. National news headlines covered the story before dinnertime, with network news channels doing the same. The 9News crew did its best that evening, but still couldn't get the name correct (It's Sigh-Bert, people, not See-Bert).
By Wednesday morning, it was on "Good Morning America," which had covered the now "famous" video a few weeks ago from another avalanche in the same area. No one would have cared if not for the video.
"Oh, the irony," the talking heads said for the nation to hear.
If only they truly understood.
Yes, the name Seibert is heavy with symbolism in this region, forever invoking images of a wild and untamed valley, full of possibilities and the person who tamed it. None of us would be here if not for man behind the name.
But grandson Tony Seibert was much more than that; much more than just a last name that will forever sit atop the pyramid of ultra-success known as Vail.
He was a 24-year-old young man with all the personal potential in the world and with a smile constantly confirming that he was indeed one of the happiest people on earth.
There's no one to blame.
This is nobody's fault.
It was an accident, plain and simple.
A tragic accident.
Yes, the warning signs were there.
Risks were taken.
But the definition of the word "risks" describes the Tony "Pardee" that so many know and love. To say Tony passed while doing what he loved is an extreme understatement. Describing Tony Seibert as a "pretty good skier" is like labeling Peyton Manning a "pretty good quarterback."
The man could ski and was easily one of the best all-around skiers in the Rockies, as you can see for yourself when you watch "Climb to Glory," the new documentary where Tony, along with co-star Chris Anthony (not exactly a couch-potato skier himself) explores his grandfather's famed 10th Mountain Division.
But while a beautiful life is mourned and celebrated, lessons for those remaining must be learned — again.
Mother Nature will never stop proving she's in charge, and we can only hope and strive for as parents and as a community that the lessons are no longer learned through heart-breaking experience, but with caution gleaned through a never-ending flow of information.
It's all we can hope for at this point.
So to his dad, Pete Jr., and mom, Teri, along with his brother, Petey, and sisters, Anna and Lizzie, never forget that Vail has your back.
And always will.
Richard Carnes, of Edwards, writes a weekly column. He can be reached at poor@vail.net.
Vail Daily page A2 - January 14, 2014
VAIL — You knew the celebration of Anthony Pardee Seibert's life would be a celebration when, before the opening prayer, people began carefully working their way through the standing-room-only crowd carrying trays of wine glasses.
More than one celebrant noticed that the crowd of more than a thousand encompassed three generations — the three generations Vail has been alive.
"Life is to be lived and celebrated," said Father Jim Baird — and celebrated it was.
"TONYYYYY!" SHOUTED ONE OF HIS FRIENDS, AND THE CROWD WENT WILD.
The Naturalist
“I grew up camping hiking and skiing. My awe of nature has never lost a shred of its integrity.”
Tony Seibert
THE ENTIRE CELEBRATION WAS PUNCTUATED WITH SHOUTS OF "TONY!"
AND SOMEWHERE TONY WAS SMILING BACK AND SHOUTING, "YES, BROS!"
And, yes, there were tears, as there must be, especially when thoughts turned to how young he was, and will remain … Tony Seibert, forever young. He died in an avalanche Tuesday. Pat Hamilton's voice and guitar were crystal clear as she sang "Ave Maria." Members of his mother Teri's family read poetry.
BUT THIS WAS TONY'S LIFE, A LIFE WORTH CELEBRATING. HE WAS BORN SKIING. IT TOOK HIM ALL OVER THE WORLD AND TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM MORE THAN A FEW TIMES. YOUNGER SISTER LIZZIE CAPTURED MOST OF THE CARNAGE ON HER CAMERA PHONE.
HE WAS 24 AND OF COURSE THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE HAD HIM LONGER, BUT THEY WERE LUCKY TO HAVE TONY AT ALL. WHEN TWINS ANNA AND TONY WERE BORN, ANNA HAD RSV AND TONY HAD BEEN EXPOSED. INSTEAD OF TAKING HIM HOME THEY PUT HIM IN THE HOSPITAL.
"That night he stopped breathing, and because he was in the hospital, they were able to revive him," said Pete Jr., Tony's father.
He may not have lived long, but, oh, how he lived!
"Anna's first words were, 'Where's Tony?'" Pete said. "It's a question we asked ourselves his whole life, and there's a story to go with each of those questions."
OH, THE STORIES
There was the skiing lesson when he was about 5 years old and the instructor was waiting when Pete came to pick them up. Tony, it seems, didn't want to ski in line.
"I TOLD HIM HE HAD TO SKI IN LINE, AND HE TOLD ME HE'D RATHER KISS A TOILET SEAT," THE INSTRUCTOR SAID.
His twin sister, Anna, it now can be told, took Tony's driver's test when they were 16 years old.
That winter day when they first drove to school, Pete sat them down and told them to take it slow, that it was slick and dangerous — all the stuff fathers are supposed to say.
They lived in Singletree and in just a few yards, Tony was driving 40 mph.
"About a half mile later we were out of control and did a 540," Anna said. "We were laughing and high fiving when my dad drove by shaking his head."
IT TOOK TWO HOURS TO DIG THE CAR OUT WHEN TONY HAD THIS REVELATION.
"YOU KNOW, WE'RE TWO HOURS LATE FOR SCHOOL ANYWAY. WE SHOULD HEAD TO THE HILL."
And that's what they did.
"Tony would tell you to do whatever you want if it makes you happy. People will either jump on for the ride or get out of the way," Anna said.
LIZZIE WAS A TODDLER AND SHE, ANNA AND TONY WERE IN PRESCHOOL WHEN THEIR PARENTS GOT CALLED TO THE SCHOOL. TONY HAD TOLD LIZZIE THAT IF SHE FOUND SOMETHING HIGH ENOUGH, JUMPED OFF AND FLAPPED HER ARMS AS HARD AS SHE COULD, SHE COULD FLY.
"FOR A SECOND, I ACTUALLY FLEW!" LIZZIE SAID. "THEN GRAVITY TOOK OVER."
SHE ENDED UP WITH A BROKEN COLLARBONE. TONY WAS HAPPY TO TAKE THE CREDIT.
LIZZIE WAS ATTENDING COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY IN FORT COLLINS AND WHEN SHE CAME HOME SHE ALWAYS CALLED TONY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO IN BOULDER TO ASK IF HE NEEDED A RIDE. HE ALWAYS DID. THEY SPENT THE TIME TALKING AND TALKING.
"I LOOK BACK AND I WISH THOSE RIDES WOULD HAVE LASTED LONGER," LIZZIE SAID.
'THE BEST FRIEND'
"Every time I think about Tony I just start laughing," said Blaze Heuga. "I envy how much self-confidence he had. You don't find that in someone 24 years old. Some people live their whole lives and never find it."
When Blaze's father, American skiing legend Jimmie Heuga, passed away Tony was the first one to rally their friends.
"Tony was a friend, the best friend," Heuga said.
"Tony was always causing a little bit of ruckus and having a blast doing so," said Robert Shearon. "I know you'll always be there for me, so when I go big, I know you'll have an eye on me."
John Ryan Melzer recalled that one of the dads helped them move into their first apartment in college and left them with this sage advice: "Men, after college it's called alcoholism."
"In the morning wake up and think, 'What would Tony Seibert do?'" Melzer said.
THE TONY SHOW
Matt Luczkow is a fellow freestyler and said Tony had the one attribute all the greats have.
"HE WAS NEVER AFRAID TO CRASH," LUCZKOW SAID. "TONY WAS A BEAST. HE WAS SO GOOD AT BREAKING EQUIPMENT. HE WAS INCREDIBLY STRONG AND EVERYTHING HE DID HE DID WITH FULL-ON COMMITMENT. HE WAS ALSO THE MOST IMPRESSIVE AND SKILLED PERSON I'VE EVER SKIED WITH. THE SUPPORT EVERYONE IS GIVING EVERYONE IS AMAZING AND A TESTAMENT TO HOW MUCH HE MEANT TO EVERYONE."
LUCZKOW EDITED TOGETHER A TONY HIGHLIGHT REEL, A TRIBUTE FILM FEATURING TONY'S GRAVITY-DEFYING JUMPS AND INCREDIBLE CRASHES.
There's Tony jumping and spinning off something insanely high, smiling and laughing.
Then there he is riding up a staircase on a lift made for old and infirmed people. There's that same smile.
And then he flies off a jump and a ski comes off. He hits the powder, flips five, maybe six times and bounds to his feet. And there's that smile again.
"Tony was the life of any room he was in," said Pete III, Tony's older brother.
Pete Jr. thanked Vail Resorts, Slifer Smith & Frampton, the real estate company he works with and especially the Vail Ski Patrol.
"You took great care of Tony, you're taking great care of Teri (Tony's mom), and we thank you," Pete said.
TONY MADE PETE THINK OF HIS DAD, PETE SEIBERT SR., WHO FOUNDED VAIL.
"THE BEST DAYS ARE WHEN I THINK OF HIM RIDING UP THE LIFT," PETE SAID, AND THAT NOW HE'LL THINK OF THEM RIDING TOGETHER.
TONY THE FEARLESS
Tony was 4 years old and spent the summer wearing a T-shirt, shorts and his brother Pete's cowboy hat. He had the brim pulled down and was ready for action, Pete recalled.
Pete took the kids to the petting zoo in Lionshead and while he had his back turned heard a loud hissing. Tony had the goose cornered, and the goose tried to bite him. Tony took a step in and before you could say, "Pete's kids don't back up," he had both hands around the goose's neck.
"Tony didn't want to hurt the goose, but he damn sure wasn't scared of it, either," Pete said. "That's how Tony lived his life, and that's how he wants us to live ours."
Vail Daily page A17 - January 9, 2015
In remembrance of Tony Seibert.
It was one year ago that Tony SEIBERT died in an avalanche. A ski-down is planned for today from the top of Vail Mountain. Start gathering at 3 p.m., and the ski-down is at 4 p.m. There's a Pardee On party tonight at the Vail Ale House for Tony Pardee SEIBERT. The music starts at 9 p.m. PIctured here are Tony and Chris Anthony dressed in 10th Mountain Division uniforms. Tony's grandfather, Vail founder Pete SEIBERT, fought in World War II with the 10th Mountain Division.
Vail Daily page B2 - August 1, 2014
BOND — Almost the entire crew of the progressive electronic rock group Eminence Ensemble share the same origin — growing up and attending middle and high school in Summit County. When the group officially formed as college students at the University of Colorado Boulder, many of their first fans were friends from the mountains. One of them was Tony Seibert, the grandson of one of the founders of Vail, who tragically lost his life in an avalanche in January.
"I actually grew up ski racing with him in my days in Summit County. He was Vail and I was Summit, so I've known him forever and we all went to college together," said Tanner Bardin, drummer and vocalist for Eminence Ensemble. "He was one of the first couple fans we had that would regularly come to the shows. Just a good buddy."
In memory of his friend, Bardin helped organize the PardeePalooza, a two-day music festival and camping event today and Saturday at State Bridge Amphitheater featuring Eminence Ensemble and a handful of other bands.
REMEMBERING TONY
On Jan. 7, Tony and three other experienced skiers went into the backcountry. Making turns down the East Vail Chutes, they triggered an avalanche, which injured the other three skiers and cost Tony his life.
Tony's death sent shockwaves through the mountain and skiing community. Thousands showed up for his memorial service.
"He was one of the best skiers in Colorado, easily," Bardin said. "I grew up ski racing with him. Great dude, super outgoing; everyone loved the kid."
The last music festival Bardin attended with Tony was at State Bridge Amphitheater in Bond, a venue about 40 miles away from Vail, and where the PardeePalooza will take place this weekend.
Tony's older brother, Pete Seibert, reminisced about attending music shows with him.
"I remember when I was younger, when I was in college, I used to take him to Red Rocks quite a bit. I think he was 16 or 17 when I took him to his first show," he said. "Every chance I got when I was up in Vail — because I lived in Durango for quite a while — I'd take him to a show. And if it wasn't me, it was friends in Boulder, they would take him along."
Even if Tony didn't particularly care for the music, "as long as he had his friends around him, he had a good time," Pete said.
Bardin remembers Tony for his adventure-seeking spirit.
"He was, more than anything, an outdoors guy," he said. "He was always backpacking to Alaska, skiing here and there, jumping out of helicopters; doing wild stuff."
PARDEEPALOOZA
The name of the event comes from Tony's middle name, Pardee. When Bardin first got the idea to do the festival, he contacted Teri Seibert, Tony's mother. Through her involvement, a portion of the proceeds from the event will go toward an avalanche safety awareness scholarship. The scholarship can be applied to avalanche awareness classes — important for those planning on spending any time in the backcountry, whether professionally or recreationally. Attending such a class can be cost prohibitive for some people. The purpose of the scholarship is to give anyone the chance to attend and learn more about staying safe in the backcountry.
"What happened to my brother, I don't want to happen to anybody else," Pete said. "That is someone's kid, someone's best friend. Any chance there is an opportunity to educate someone on the backcountry and keep them alive is a good thing."
The event itself will include camping, vendors and, of course, music. Eminence Ensemble will play both nights, and among the many songs they're performing is a very special one.
"We wrote it after Tony passed away, called 'Tony's Song,' and it's probably one of our most powerful, technical tunes," Bardin said. "So that's another way we will be celebrating Tony this weekend."
The festival is open to anyone and everyone, whether they knew Tony or not. That said, there will be plenty in the crowd who knew Tony, or had connections to him and his family.
"All my brother's friends are dropping what they're doing, taking work off, coming up to celebrate his life," Pete said. And celebration was nothing foreign to Tony. "He was the life of the party. If you were having a crappy day or were down in the dumps, he'd make sure you'd have a great time whether it's going to the bars, going to a show or hanging around the house playing video games. He made us laugh quite a bit."
Bardin feels that gathering people together for a celebration is one of the best ways to honor his friend. He hopes the festival will continue.
"That's kind of the way that Tony can live on, as a giant gathering music festival," he said.
To start off the festival, Pete and his sister Lizzie will take the stage to say a few words about their brother.
"It's just cool to see the love that all my brother's friends and my friends have been giving," Pete said. "It meant a lot for them to ask us to say something."
He's also looking forward to hanging back with his camera to "watch the shenanigans go down."
"I can't wait," Pete said. "It's going to be a blast."
