Mountain guide and author Rob Coppolillo, from Boulder, Colorado, sadly passed away in British Columbia on Thursday, April 18, 2024, while guiding. Rob and his family relocated to Colorado in 1976, during a time when Denver was tranquil and the term "skier traffic" hadn't entered the vocabulary.
He and his twin brother, Pete, learned skiing by keeping up with the fast skiers on the slopes. Fortunately, their high school offered an outdoor education class, which introduced them to the basics of rock climbing. Despite their parents' objections, the brothers climbed across Colorado during high school and college (Rob attended CU-Boulder, earning a BA in environmental conservation).
In his twenties, Rob devoted himself to racing bicycles before transitioning to become an apprentice guide with Markus Beck's guide service, Alpine World Ascents, in 2004. Markus mentored Rob through his initial courses at the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) and all three courses of the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) curriculum.
After a decade of training, an intensive apprenticeship, and plenty of adventures, Rob passed his final AMGA exam in September 2014, completing all three disciplines (ski, rock, and alpine) in a hectic seven-month period. Rob became the 97th American to earn international certification with the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA).