The Andy Tyson Memorial Fund

On April 10, 2015, Andy Tyson, A.J. Linnell, Russell “Rusty” Cheney, and pilot John H. Short–died in an airplane crash near the remote Diamond D Ranch in central Idaho. Tyson, a 46-year-old climber, guide, author, and entrepreneur, founded the renewable energy company Creative Energies. Linnell and Cheney both worked for the company, while Short was the ranch owner. Short had hired Creative Energies to do an assessment on the ranch. The plane crashed shortly after leaving the property. All but Short were Teton Valley, Idaho residents. Short, of Park City, Utah, was a part-time resident.

Tyson, a lifelong adventurer, grew up in Pennsylvania but became a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) instructor in the early 1990s, leading outdoor trips from Alaska to Patagonia. At NOLS, he also met Molly Loomis, a writer and climber who became his wife and partner in climbing, boating, and skiing explorations around the world. Loomis, a freelance writer, was also the first editorial intern at Alpinist Magazine and remains part of the Alpinist family.

After Tyson’s death, the Andy Tyson Memorial Fund was created to help those in developing mountain communities accomplish their dreams. The goal is to raise $100,000. Donations are tax deductible. Trevor Deighton, a friend of Tyson and now a board member for the fund, told the Jackson Hole News & Guide: “As much as the climbing activity, for Andy it was about the people and the places, and that’s the idea of the fund: Supporting the people in the places to do those activities and potentially work as guides and help the economy.”

To hear more of Andy Tyson’s life philosophy, listen to his inspirational TEDx talk called Challenge Yourself for our Benefit or visit the memorial fund’s Facebook page.