‘Grief doesn’t bend’: professional big mountain skier Hadley Hammer on moving forward past loss

The American big mountain skier has experienced more loss at 38 than most humans will in a lifetime. She opens up about how she’s learned to navigate the highs and lows

For the last five years, Hadley Hammer has been fighting to stay above water. Only now, looking back, can she admit how intense the last half-decade has been.

In April 2019, Hammer’s then partner, professional alpinist David Lama, died in an avalanche. A month later, Sam Coffey, an ex-boyfriend, died unexpectedly from a series of strokes. Soon after, her dad was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. She then moved to Europe, tore her ACL, went through strict pandemic lockdowns, and just as she was rebounding, her dad passed away. Two months later, her close friend and mentor, Hilaree Nelson, died in an avalanche in Nepal.

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