The legacy of former Squamish resident Brent Mathieson will now live on forever, much like he spent much of his time – in the mountains.
On April 24, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson officially revealed the naming of Mount Mathieson in honour of the long-time avalanche safety advocate.
Mathieson spent six years in Squamish before he died in a highway accident near Lillooet in 2002. He was 32.
Family friend Karen Richardson, who was dating Mathieson at the time of his death, said the mountain naming is a tremendous honour.
“I think he would have thought that it’s a really nice legacy,” she said. “Some people have huts named after them, but this is such a prominent feature and it’s cemented forever. It’s going to be so awesome to pull out maps and see his name. It’s like he’s still with us.”
Mathieson served as the West Coast director of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and was an experienced mountain guide and avalanche safety professional.
Richardson said he was very committed to his work in the mountains.
“He was very quiet but worked really good,” she said. “He took a lot of time and put so much effort into his work. He was very dedicated.”
The minister said it’s the right move to honour Mathieson in this way.
“Naming this mountain after Brent Mathieson is a testament to his many contributions to educating backcountry enthusiasts about avalanche dangers and mountain safety issues in British Columbia,” Thomson stated in a news release. “It is a fitting tribute to someone who was an accomplished outdoorsman, expert guide and respected community leader.”
One of Mathieson’s top career achievements was spearheading the North Shore Avalanche Advisory, a safety bulletin that summarized winter mountain conditions, offered travel advice and provided up-to-date information about the snowpack, avalanche activity and current hazards in B.C.’s backcountry. This publication later reached a wider audience when it was incorporated into Avalanche Canada’s public bulletin on avalanche safety.
“As Canada’s national public avalanche safety organization, Avalanche Canada is very pleased to see Brent Mathieson honoured in this way,” stated Gillies Valade, the executive director of Avalanche Canada. “He was truly dedicated to public avalanche safety, and his work has left a lasting legacy.”
Mount Mathieson is about 20 kilometres northeast of Toba Inlet on B.C.’s west coast and reaches a height of 2,323 metres.
Richardson said it was a three-year process to name the mountain and thanked Squamish resident Bruce Kay for his help working with the land office to make the naming a reality.
