Marion Hessey dies at 91

Chuck and Marion Hessey near Crystal Mountain, circa 1960. Photo by Stella Degenhardt.
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Marion Hessey of Naches, Washington passed away on October 11, 2007 at age 91. With her husband Chuck Hessey, Marion was a true pioneer of backcountry skiing in the Washington Cascades. The Hesseys were part owners of the Gold Hill cabin on the east side of the Cascade Crest near Crystal Mountain, where they spent winter weekends for many years. They made extended ski trips in the 1950s in what would later become the Pasayten Wilderness and the Glacier Peak Wilderness. In 1956, the Hesseys filmed "Skiing Cascade Wilderness" at Lyman Lake, near Holden, a half-hour color movie with sound that was televised on KOMO-TV's Exploration Northwest in the early 1960s. The Hesseys were early board members of the North Cascades Conservation Council and important contributors to the effort to create the Glacier Peak Wilderness and the North Cascades National Park.

Notes about the Hesseys from my ski history project can be found here . A memorial service for Marion Hessey will be held on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007 at 11 AM at the Nile Community Church about 15 miles west of Naches on Highway 410, east of Chinook Pass. A brief obituary can be found here:

www.yakima-herald.com/obit/show/4660

Something I forgot in my original post...

The Hesseys were among the first people to ski at White Pass after the highway opened in 1951 and before a ski area was developed there. When I visited Marion in 2002, I copied a photo that I believe was of Chuck Hessey captioned "first ski ascent" of Hogback Mountain. With Tom Lyon and Dorothy Egg, the Hesseys made the first ski traverse from White Pass to the Goat Rocks and back in March 1953.

Today's article in the Yakima Herald.


www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/290098298399855

Thanks for the link, Jack.

I took my 11-year-old son to Marion's memorial service today. It was great to meet more of her friends. I brought a videotape of "Skiing Cascade Wilderness" which was projected in the church before the service began. Her friend Patrick Noonan brought her old Head Standards, still equipped with canvas climbers, leather boots, and first generation Kelty pack. I should have measured the length of those skis. They were at least 200cm and darn heavy. Yet she climbed like a jackrabbit and turned them with grace in the old Hessey movies.

Charles and Marion were my great uncle and aunt. This is the first I have heard of this. Thank you Lowell.

Having done that white pass traverse, I'd have to say that'd been pretty hard, especially since, when i talked to you last Lowell, I think that you said they took 2 weeks. That's an incredible amount of gear!!! One of these days I'll have to go ski that traverse again, although going from corad meadows to north tieton is much more aesthetic.

Great to see what the old timers have done.

Tony, that's where you get your skiing spirit from, eh?