Page 5 - Flathead Beacon // 9.24.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
NEWS
Tragic Ending to Ambitious Young Life
SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 | 5
W•O•R•D•S of the Week
AN INDEX OF RECENT NEWSMAKERS
COMPLAINT
Three local criminal defense lawyers filed a complaint against the Flathead County Attorney’s Office alleging various “unethical/criminal activities.” The complaint is being referred to the state Of- fice of Disciplinary Counsel. (STORY, PAGE 16)
LION CUBS
A pair of mountain lion cubs that were rescued by wild land firefighters earlier this summer are settling into their new home at a zoo in Ohio. The cuddly cats arrived at the Columbus Zoo last week.
SCOTLAND
The United Kingdom will remain united after voters in Scotland turned down a plan to seek independence.
COBELL
Hundreds of thousands of Native Americans have started receiving the final payments of the Cobell settlement. The $3.4 billion settlement stems from a class-action lawsuit filed by Elouise Cobell of Browning that found government mismanagement of land dating back to the 1880s. (STORY, PAGE 23)
Experienced BASE jumper had leapt from Glacier Park’s Mount Siyeh prior to fatal attempt
By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
In the opening of one of Beau Weiher’s BASE jumping videos, which features the culmination of a successful solo de- scent off a mountain top, the audio track of his GoPro footage captures the satis- fied belly-laughter of someone whose ap- petite for life is sated only while soaring through the skies.
“Yeah, buddy,” Weiher says to him- self as he lands his parachute in a neigh- borhood below the mountain. “That was spicy. That was some spicy action.”
Weiher, of Missoula, died Sept. 13 attempting a BASE jump from Glacier National Park’s Mount Siyeh, a 10,000- foot behemoth he’d successfully jumped from previously.
Weiher died too young, and his com- munity of friends, family, climbers and BASE jumpers has mourned him publicly, posting photos and videos of his adven- tures on Facebook.
But in 22 years, they say he crafted a life brimming with the passion, ambition and experience of an accomplished moun- tain athlete, his commitment to the rar- efied sport of BASE jumping less an obses- sion with its adrenaline-inducing thrills than its requisite level of intense focus and commitment, which characterized his philosophy on life.
Jeff Shapiro, a professional athlete who lives in Missoula, met Weiher when he moved to Missoula from Colorado to pursue BASE jumping full time, having quit his job as a carpenter. The two made quick friends and their relationship deep- ened as they began climbing, biking and BASE jumping together on a regular basis.
Mount Siyeh towers above Cracker Lake in Glacier National Park. JUSTIN FRANZ | FLATHEAD BEACON
Shapiro said BASE jumping partners share a bond that transcends most friend- ships because they depend on one an- other completely.
“He was an old soul. And when you face your own mortality on a regular ba- sis, which is an element that is undeniable in the art of BASE jumping, you really gain some perspective,” Shapiro said. “It gives you humility and lets you very intimately understand the difference between what is trivial and what is important. The re- sult of his experiences in the mountain al- lowed him to gain that perspective, and it’s one that most people never achieve in life.”
BASE jumping involves leaping from a fixed object and landing with a parachute. It’s an acronym for building, antenna, span and earth, which are the four catego- ries of features from which participants of
See BASE Jump PAGE 22
Evidence suggests Beau Weiher died after BASE jumping off Mount Siyeh, according to the National Park Service. COURTESY PHOTO
Announcing...
NEW TASTING ROOM HOURS
Beginning Oct 5th we’ll be closed on Sundays and open Monday - Saturday, noon to 8pm.
GROWLER WEDNESDAY SPECIAL!
Every Wednesday, when you fill a growler, we buy a beer!