Recording of the Life of Kai Celebration is now available ❤️
See the link in bio.
On April 26th, Kai filled the Whistler Conference Centre with over 1,300 people who came together to celebrate his life. It was an evening full of heartfelt, insightful stories from his closest friends, a beautiful slideshow put together by his brother Luke, and a film that captured the incredible energy and excitement of the life Kai lived.
As a family, we’ve never experienced grief like this. The outpouring of love that night — the stories, the hugs, the tears, and the shared memories — helped us in ways we never could have imagined. For the first time since the accident, I was able to sleep without help. Knowing we weren’t carrying this pain alone made all the difference.
We are so deeply grateful to everyone who showed up for Kai — his family, teachers, friends from around the world, and this amazing mountain community we’re so lucky to be part of. Thank you for helping us share this unbearable grief, for honouring Kai, and for helping carry his light forward.
We look forward to sharing more soon with the launch of the Live Like Kai Foundation.
With love and gratitude,
#livelikekai
John, Julia & Luke 🙏❤️❤️🩹
Ski for Kai ❤️- Saturday, April 25. Meet at the Horstman Hut 11:00 AM - first photo, Ski to wind lip - 2nd photo, then ski to Park by noon - Look for the DJ cat and BBQ setup.
Please join us for the Life of Kai Celebration.
Sunday, April 26, 2026 Whistler Conference Centre 4:00 PM – 8:00PM PM
Guests are welcome from 4:00 PM, with reflections and speaking beginning at 4:30 PM, followed by drinks and food.
To help us prepare the space, we kindly ask that you RSVP only if you plan to attend in person. Please also answer questions at the end.
RSPV link in bio.
Wow… Kai has truly connected with people around the world and that same kindness is now pouring back to all of us in the most overwhelming way.
Julia, Luke, and I want to thank—and hug—every single one of you for the continuous outpouring of love, support, and stories about Kai. It really does help. Your words are bringing light and warmth into what feels like a very dark, cold tunnel right now.
We also want to thank the hundreds of people who have donated to the GoFundMe set up by our friends. In less than 2 days you hit the target to cover all of Kai’s critical costs! Thank you so much 🙏
Your generosity has not stopped, and with the additional funds continuing to come in (GoFundMe link in bio), we are well on our way to creating a lasting legacy for Kai through a memorial fund in his name. The exact framework is being carefully considered, but our goal is to help Kai’s light continue to shine long into the future, by offering scholarships and funding to inspiring young people, who reflect the spirit and drive Kai embodied.
Kai’s celebration of life will be held at the Whistler Conference Centre on April 26th. More details to follow.
Thank you all for helping carry us through this difficult time. ❤️
It is with immense sadness that we have to let you know that our kind, brave and beautiful son and brother Kai is no longer with us. We are beyond heartbroken and there are no words to describe the pain we are feeling losing him so young.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out with messages of love and support - we have appreciated every one of them.
We were able to fly him home from Japan in an air ambulance to Vancouver General Hospital on Thursday, where he underwent more testing. Tragically, the severe lack of oxygen he endured during the avalanche had destroyed any chance of recovery. We said our final farewells to him last night.
Kai was a warrior, a mountain man, an explorer of the world, a lover of people of all walks of life, an inspiration to so many, an honour student, a passionate skier, surfer, dirt biker, climber, kitesurfer and so much more...He lived life to the fullest every single day, with joy, curiosity, and intensity, and experienced more in his short time than most do in a lifetime. He truly was a bright light, and his energy—his excitement for life and for learning—touched everyone who knew him.
He was always searching for the road less travelled, drawn to new places, new ideas, and new experiences. When he wasn’t outside pushing his limits, he was constantly learning, researching, and engaging with the world.
We are so glad to be able to tell you that Kai’s heart is still beating in someone else and he is keeping 4 other people alive with his organs. This gives us great comfort.
There will be no funeral but we will organize a Kai-sized celebration of life for him in Whistler. We will let you know details in due course and we hope that those who knew and loved him will join us in sharing stories and photos so we can keep his spirit alive together.
Kai truly lit up the world wherever he went and will be deeply missed by the many people whose lives he touched—especially all of us who were so close to him.
John, Julia and Luke
Pirate Stories 2023 Brazil. After waving goodby to the crew I stayed on for a solo mission to conclude that Brazil is definitely the most consistent wind location I’ve been to - it blew every day for an entire month ! And the best spots for waves on this northern coast was Taiba and Paracura. A local filmer put together a couple edits for me that highlight why I am so addicted to this sport ! It’s similar to mogul skiing but the moguls move and the landings are much softer :-)
