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THE GREAT CANADIAN MALE

RICH MARSHALL – The Mountain Man

Text: MITCHELL SCOTT

Intro | SEP 03

Last February, while Rich Marshall rested on a ridge in the powder-perfect Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, a thunderous craaack! ripped through the clear, cold sky. He and his wife, Abby, watched in horror as a massive avalanche came crashing down on a group of 17 Calgary high schoolers out for a day of backcountry skiing. Marshall’s 14 years of experience as a mountain guide kicked in. He and Abby spent the next 45 minutes systematically digging out buried victims, sometimes leaving only their heads exposed before continuing the search. "It was tough, but we had to keep moving," he says. Though the slide killed seven, the death toll could have been much higher.

Marshall is no stranger to mountain tragedies. His father died in 1987 attempting a solo ascent of Mount Everest, and he’s lost several friends to various outdoor accidents. But despite the risks, he’ll never give up on adventure. You need only peek into his home in Golden, B.C., where the gear rooms are stuffed with skis, snowboards, mountain bikes and climbing equipment.

For Marshall, living the life of a mountain man is not about being a star. But with his heroic rescue effort, over 20 rock and ice first ascents and a handful of World Cup ice-climbing medals, many would argue he is just that. "It’s never been a huge goal of mine to go searching for big firsts," he says.

To fund his pursuits, the long-haired guide (known as The Bod among Goldenites for his lean, mean physique) takes clients backcountry skiing and climbing and helps set the courses for Eco-Challenge adventure races. He earns enough money to be able to take half the year off, when he and his wife travel the globe.

Although he turns 40 next month, Marshall is happy being the perennial teenager. His goal in life is to "work less and play more." Not surprisingly, his big retirement plan is to go surfing. [ ]

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