Matt Primomo

By Gene Primomo 

My nephew, Matt Primomo, fell and died while rock climbing near his home in Leavenworth, Washington on March 7, 2024. Matt, 40, is survived by his wife, Stella, 18-month-old son Milo, parents Bill and Linda, and sister Kara.

Matt was my brother Bill’s only son. The shock and grief that everyone who knew Matt is only tempered by the shared memories of Matt and all the lives he touched. I wish to share these thoughts with my friends and the outdoor community because many of you embrace Matt’s love of the outdoors coupled with the need to challenge yourself daily both physically and mentally.

During our Capital Bicycle Racing Club group rides I would reminisce about Matt’s life journey and accomplishments. Many of us vicariously lived through him to stoke that part of us that craves adventure, challenge and the wonder of nature. Matt was a world-class climber, guide and avalanche forecaster, nevertheless he remained humble and always took joy in sharing his knowledge and love of nature with everyone regardless of their skill or fitness level.

Since Matt was a young boy, he wanted to get out and slide down mountains. One day while snowshoeing up the Long Path above Thatcher State Park we came upon Matt, a highschooler at the time, alone packing snow on a snowboard jump. What struck me at the time was he was alone. Not because he didn’t have good friends, he had many, but because it reflected his interest in snow and how it relates to elevation. Looking back, it was just a foreshadowing of how that passion would lead him on his life’s journey finding bigger mountains and learning about snow and how it changes.

Professionally, Matt reached the pinnacle of his career before he hit his 40th year. He taught and lectured on avalanche safety in English and Spanish in North and South America. He professionally guided the highest peaks in North America and the challenging rivers in the American West and on the Amazon River. Despite our distance from each other during his adult life I was fortunate to have him guide me (with ropes) up the Trap Dike to the summit of Mount Colvin, ice climb Chapel Pond in Keene, and snowshoe peaks overlooking Lake Tahoe. 

My cycling experience with Matt was during one of his visits back to the Capital Region when he wanted me to take him on a road bike ride for some exercise. It happened to be the day before the Quabbin Road Race so I figured it would be mellow as he only played around on a clunky mountain bike and used it for transportation. After a while at an average speed of 17-19 mph he said, “Hey Uncle Bud, should I use the big ring?” I said, “No!” He ignored me so my pre-race ride turned into a 30-mile race when Matt’s incredible athleticism collided with a fit old man’s pride.

I was anticipating that my upcoming retirement would include joining Matt and Milo, along with my grandchildren, on some of their father-son adventures wherever and whenever we could. That opportunity is gone, and the reality of that thought will haunt me for the rest of my days.

We are thankful Stella and Milo have a fantastic support system and it will be up to us to make sure Matt’s presence is passed onto Milo and everyone that remains. 

Originally from Delmar, Matt worked as an avalanche forecaster with the Northwest Avalanche Center since 2017, where he wrote avalanche advisories for the Cascade Mountains. He previously worked as an avalanche forecaster in Utah, Colorado and Chile. In the summer, he worked as a mountain guide with the Northwest Mountain School and Exum Mountain Guides, and was described as a “beacon of strength, wisdom, and kindness within the mountain community, touching countless lives with his expertise and compassion.”

From an early age, Matt took an interest in snow, its movement and snowsports. In ski club at Bethlehem High School, he went to the Lake Tahoe, Kirkwood and Mammoth area. It was the first time he had seen high altitude mountains, blue skies and powder. He studied Outdoor Recreation Leadership. In his second winter there, he and his friend went to ski a nearby 13,000’ peak. It was wind scoured and the snow looked a little funky. They walked on rock along the ridgeline to the top and put on their snowboards. It felt strange so he jumped on the very top of the snow and the whole gully collapsed, fractured out, and slid. It was a D3 avalanche with van-sized blocky chunks in the debris. He reported it to the local avalanche center and from there he knew he wanted to learn more. Matt started to go to the local avalanche center’s snow and avalanche workshops.

He became interested in climate, climate change, and meteorology, and moved back to Colorado to study Geography. During that time, he worked with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center and started guiding on Mount Rainier with RMI Expeditions. After school, he was sort of a ski bum and guide, and took an opportunity to learn Spanish and do avalanche forecasting in Chile. He worked in South America for a total of five seasons. After that, he moved to Park City and was ski guiding and teaching avalanche courses and making pizzas. The next year he joined the Utah DOT doing avalanche control. That’s where he met his wife at Alta Ski Area. They really enjoyed Utah but wanted to live in a smaller community within the mountains so moved to Leavenworth, Washington in 2017. 

Matt started working as an Avalanche Control Specialist with WSDOT on Stevens Pass, then started working at Northwest Avalanche Center. He would always recognize the proud heritage of the Yakama, Chinook and Wenatchi tribes when publicly speaking. This team was incredibly positive, he was stoked to be a part of the culture, making a lot of cool changes in the industry. Matt was personally and professionally thriving.

Matt’s own words leave us with a life lesson on how to go on with our him in our lives – Unfortunately, I have lost some of these colleagues and friends through accidents. These have been seminal events that changed the way we operate. We experience these things, and they weigh on us and they weigh on me. I’ve certainly struggled with it, so it’s not only OK but recommended to seek out therapy after going through an accident like this. I can also say that it’s important to know that we are honoring our lost colleagues because we’ve learned from these hard lessons. However, it’s up to us to keep them in place every time we go out in the field, we you know it’s important that we remember and that we honor our lost heroes in some way shape or form. – Matt Primomo, Avalanche Hour Podcast, 2021

“Matt, we honor you” – Uncle Bud

A Celebration of Life for Matt Primomo is taking place at our home at 51 Sunset Drive, Delmar on Saturday, June 22 from 12-4pm with toasts to Matt’s memory at 2pm. Food and beverages will be served. All are welcome. If you would like to help support Matt’s son, Milo, please consider a contribution to Milo’s Investment Fund: Venmo “Milo Fund” or checks payable to “National Financial Services” (Memo: “FBO Milo Primomo”) can be mailed to Bryant Asset Mgmt., Attn: Reid Prinzo, 1280 New Scotland Rd, Slingerlands, NY 12159. 

Gene Primomo (gene.primomo51@gmail.com) is an assistant federal public defender. He serves on the boards of Capital Bicycle Racing Club, Capital Trail Alliance, and Bethlehem Youth Court. Gene and his wife Carroll have three daughters and six grandchildren that live only a short bike ride away.