UPDATE, June 19, 1:30 p.m.: A source close to the family of Dr. Keith Hardy, killed in a skiing accident on Mount Baker Friday, tells Kirkland Patch the family would like to clarify the circumstances of the incident.
Hardy, a physician at Kirkland's Evergreen Sport and and Spine Center, fell off a cliff at the base of the Coleman Glacier Headwall after climbing to the summit of 10,781-foot Baker. Some media reports have said that he skied off the headwall or cliff. But according to the family, members of the party say that while skiing down the mountain, Hardy fell above the cliff and could not arrest his slide.
Hardy was an experienced climber and skier who took the necessary safety precautions in his outdoors adventures, the family says.
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Original story:
The victim of a fatal skiing accident on Mount Baker Friday has been identified as a Kirkland physician who practiced at , Dr. Keith Hardy.
Hardy, 34, had reportedly just climbed to the top of 10,781-foot Mount Baker and was skiing down the mountain when he accidentally went off a cliff at the 9,000-foot level, according to a report on KOMO television.
EvergreenHealth confirmed Monday morning that Hardy practiced there. He was an avid skier and outdoorsman, who also practiced at Northwest Spine and Sports Physicians in Bellevue. His bio there indicated he also served as team physician for the University of Washington lacrosse team and the Sammamish High School football team.
KOMO quoted a statement released by Hardy family: "We are deeply grieved by our loss. Keith was a wonderful husband, father, physician, and friend. He lived his life with purpose and passion. We know all those whose lives he touched will miss him dearly."
Search and rescue teams have been turned back by weather in attempting to recover Hardy’s body and are waiting for conditions to improve.
KOMO also quoted a colleague of Hardy’s as saying the doctor was passionate about sports, and that carried over into his career.
“He was passionate about it and loved to do it," said Hardy's friend, Dr. Andrew Lynch. "He should be remembered from a professional standpoint as a great doctor and a rising star in our field, because he was."
For the KOMO story, click here. For a clip of Hardy's work at EvergreenHealth, see the You Tube video attached to this story.
RIPxxxx
Crystal, and Misty Wetherbee
Becky
From the short 20 minutes I spend with the man he seemed like he cared about his patients. I only met him the once but did feel his caring though his actions. I felt he was a good man and tried hard to help. To his family, if you are reading this all I can say as words of comfort are that I will pray for you. In words of the man I met I will say that having a "young" doctor walk into the room was refreshing. I am close to his age so when a doctor close to my age walked in I was reassured that at least he will understand me as a person if not my problem. The man I knew as "Dr. Hardy" was a good man. He cared and tried with passion to solve my problem. Thank you for sharing him with the rest of us. -Joe