“No one lived larger than Charlotte,” said Deb Curtis, an Aspen friend. “No one got after it like she did. And she had a heart of gold.”
Charlotte Fox, a beloved member of climbing and skiing communities throughout the world, passed away on May 24th in Telluride, Colorado.
To honor Charlotte’s legacy of giving generously to help others, her friends have organized the Charlotte Fox Memorial School Fund. Charlotte cherished her experiences in Nepal and had been a strong supporter of the dZi Foundation's work in Nepal since 2004. In recognition of her big heart and love for Nepal, we are raising funds in partnership with the dZi Foundation to support the construction of an earthquake-safe school in the remote community of Maheswori in Eastern Nepal.
This school was damaged beyond repair by the devastating earthquakes in 2015. Since then, students from the school have been studying in broken and dangerous classrooms, which puts them at significant risk. The dZi Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Ridgway, Colorado that runs grassroots, community-based development programs in Eastern Nepal, and will work with the people of Maheswori to rebuild the school. Since the 2015 earthquakes, they have helped their partner communities rebuild 28 earthquake-safe schools so that 4,000 students could return to school without fear.
Charlotte’s friends are honored to help the community of Maheswori rebuild this much-needed school as a part of Charlotte’s legacy. You can learn more about the project here: https://spark.adobe.com/page/XxNgFQC751qYi/
Charlotte lived for the mountains and was an accomplished mountaineer, climber and skier. She worked as a ski patroller at Snowmass and Telluride, retiring just a few years ago after 30+ years. Her climbing resume includes scaling all 54 of Colorado’s peaks above 14,000 feet, being the first American woman to reach the summit of Gasherbrum II, and the first American woman to climb three 8,000 meter peaks (GII, Cho Oyu and Everest). She went on to climb two more 8,000-meter peaks—Dhaulagiri and Manaslu (the last one at age 60) - and ticked off each of the tallest peaks on the continents.
Charlotte was also an avid reader and curious learner, always interested in differing perspectives and up for a good discussion. She was a strong advocate for women in climbing and in leadership positions in the community. An old friend, Andrea Cutter, remembers her saying, “Sisters stick together!”
Above all, Charlotte had a big, immensely generous heart and was always there to help those in need — whether it be her close friends or communities on the other side of the globe. For her final Seven Summits climb - Mount Elbrus in 2014 - Charlotte was determined to ski from the summit and formed an all-women team to raise nearly $10,000 for the dZi Foundation. Charlotte also served on several nonprofit boards, including the Access Fund and the American Alpine Club.
Please consider donating today to honor the incredible life of our dear friend, Charlotte Fox.
