Hello instructors and friends,
I’m sorry to be the bearer of some sad news. Some of you may have already heard. Chris Kaster passed away on Saturday night. While this message was sent to our current team, and a few other former instructors and industry friends, please feel free to share with others who knew Chris.
Below is a message shared by Jeremy Riss yesterday:
I wanted to let everyone know that Chris Kastner passed away yesterday evening, Saturday, November 5th, peacefully at his home. He had been on in-home hospice care for the past couple weeks.
Chris worked at Mt. Hood Meadows in the 80’s as a race coach and instructor before moving on to work at Aspen, Schweitzer and Crystal Mountain. Chris came back to Meadows in the fall of 2005 as the Director of the Ski & Snowboard School and was most recently promoted to the Director of Resort Services. He worked with us until the early winter of 2021 when he suffered a stroke while kiteboarding in Mexico.
Chris had an exceptional passion for snow sports and Mt. Hood Meadows and shared that passion with many team members and guests. He helped mentor many of us, including myself, to grow as people and leaders. Though his accomplishments at Meadows are too many to name them all, here are a few that stand out.
Chris started the 5th grade ski free program at Meadows where we provide an opportunity for every 5th grader in Hood River County to have a school field trip to Meadows and ski for free once a year. He strived to create teamwork and cooperation between departments which led to the formation of the Snowsports Services Department. Rentals, Meadows Learning Center, Guest Services and Race & Competitions all working together and sharing team members between departments to improve the team and guest experience. In one of his final seasons Chris was the primary representative for Mt. Hood Meadows during construction of the Sahale Lodge, working closely with the contractor to ensure quality control for the project and that it was successfully completed on schedule.
What stands out most of all is Chris’s kindness, positivity and how much cared about and enjoyed the people he worked with. He never missed an opportunity to socialize after work whether that was going night skiing, cocktails in the Alp or many nights both. Chris made Meadows a more fun place to work and play for many of us and he will be deeply missed.
Ashley Kastner, Chris’ daughter [and Guest Services Manager], is of course in our thoughts. Losing a parent can be one of life’s most difficult journeys. Let’s respect Ashley and her process. It helps her to be at the mountain home that she loves. Her request is that she would like to focus on work so let’s help her by not bombarding her with our stories, condolences, hugs, or put her in a position of having to console others right now. There will be a time for that, and she will let us know when that is. For now, please respect her space and desire to contribute to the team.
If you have cards, flowers, remembrances, or such that you would like to give to her, please drop off your items at Human Resources, who will collect and deliver to Ashley regularly.
When information on a memorial service / celebration of life becomes available we will certainly pass it on. Chris brought joy to so many lives and his legacy will be remembered and celebrated.
-Jeremy Riss (he, him, his)
Vice President of Resort Operations
