An Idaho emergency room doctor who combined the search for adventure with acts of altruism died Friday in an avalanche he allegedly triggered while skiing.
THE Sawtooth Avalanche Center reported that a skier was killed Friday while ski touring on Donaldson Peak in Idaho's Lost River Range. The Custer County coroner identified the skier as emergency room doctor Dr. Terrence “Terry” O'Connor, according to Idaho Mountain Express.
O'Connor was downhill with another experienced backcountry skier Friday when he “triggered and was caught in a small wind slab avalanche,” the avalanche center reported. The slide then triggered a second, larger avalanche.
His skiing partner, who has not been identified, called for help using a satellite communications device before following his path and locating him. They pulled O'Connor out of the snow and began CPR.
A search and rescue team responded but O'Connor did not survive the accident, the avalanche center said.
The Idaho EMS Board confirmed his death in the crash in a statement posted on Facebook, saying O'Connor's loss would be felt across the state and region.
“Terry was an exceptional physician and played a pivotal role in the early days of the COVID pandemic, truly demonstrating the public health role of the emergency medical services medical director within a community,” the release said.
O'Connor worked at St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center in Ketchum, Idaho, according to the hospital's website. It included a blog written about O'Connor in 2021 describing his service to the community during the pandemic.
“I work in a small community, but I feel like I can still help solve a global health problem,” O'Connor said at the time.
O'Connor also linked his penchant for acts of altruism and altruism to his love of adventure. According to the blog, O'Connor has been to Mount Everest three times, the last time he was able to climb.
He welcomed a podcast called “The Adventure Activist” which is described as a place for “meaningful conversation” with guests about how they add value to the world and “do good with their passion for adventure.”
In a Tedx Conference 2017 entitled “A Life of Adventure: Selfish or Altruistic? » O'Connor said his dear friend and climbing partner died in an avalanche in the Canadian Rockies two weeks before his own Mount Everest adventure. He wondered why he was seeking such a dangerous peak the entire time he was climbing to the top of the mountain, O'Connor said.
Finally arriving at the summit, O'Connor said he was stunned but for some reason suddenly thought of the death of a woman he had met while working in Tibet earlier this year – there. She died of a preventable heart condition that O'Connor said could have been easily managed in a more developed and resourced country.
His talk focused on the effect of this fear, noting that research indicated a link to altruism.
“We find that awe, like a communal or religious experience, helps us bond with others, motivating us to act collaboratively,” O'Connor said. “And individuals who experience respect more frequently in their daily lives are also more willing to sacrifice and give more resources to others. »
O'Connor said he looked forward to learning more and hoped others would continue their adventures.
“Whether you stand in awe looking up at the trees in the night sky or at the mountains, these moments will always be oxygen to our souls,” O’Connor said. “I’m just asking you to remember why you might feel this way.”
