January 10th, 2011 by Conor

January 10th, 2011 by Conor

I was fortunate enough to meet Danny when I was taking a Wilderness Medicine course up in Conway NH in 2009. Conor was a student in the class and he was kind enough to share his knowledge of the area. He took us on a few great hikes, and invited a couple of us back to his house.

We walked in and met Danny, he was sitting in the kitchen doing some kind of work with decals. I remember being blown away that two young, single guys lived in such a clean and well kept house. I thought for sure that there had to be a woman somewhere keeping the place so spotless. When I mentioned it to Conor his response was ” my mom is kind enough to let us live here the least we can do is take care of it”. I knew instantly these were not typical irresponsible young knuckleheads.

From two rooms away Danny overheard Conor apologizing to us that there really wasn’t anyplace to party on a Tuesday night and said ” if you guys want to party, I can make a few phone- calls”

A few phone-calls and 30 minutes later there were 20 people circled around the kitchen counter playing some beer dice game and we had a blast.

I also remember Danny laughing his ass off at Conor and me when we dumped our canoe in the 40-degree Saco River, five minutes into a two-hour paddle. Conor and I spent the rest of the trip hoping Danny would dump his canoe every time he hit rough water, he never did. Months later I Googled him and found out what an absolute stud he is on the mountain.

The few hikes, the few beers, the wet canoeing trip, and the time hanging out up on cathedral are lasting and cherished memories of my brief stint in NH. I am thankful to The Toumarkine brothers for graciously welcoming me into their circle of friends and sharing the beauty of their hometown with me. I am looking forward to bringing my sons there and sharing it with them.

I know how cliché it is to say that “Everything happens for a reason” but I believe it’s all part of the grand design. My family’s thoughts and prayers will be with you guys and your family. Conor I hope my sons are as good at being a brother as you are, your Mom should be commended for raising two great sons. When this is all in the rearview mirror, I will do whatever if takes to ensure our paths cross again and I will gladly buy the first round. Until then, stay strong and God bless.

Bill Harris
HMCS (AW/FMF)
US Navy

January 10th, 2011 by Conor

The last time I saw my cousin Danny before his accident was Open Mic Night up at the Red Parka Pub. That night my twin brother and I decided to replace the Turtle Taxi that night and give our cousins and their friends a ride home after closing time. Somewhere along the way the song “Teach Me How to Dougie” came on the radio. For whatever reason, as soon as the song started, Danny picked up my miniature schnauzer and proceeded to teach her how to Dougie. I was laughing so hard watching them both in the rear view mirror that I almost lost focus of the road.

I first found out about his accident while out in Colorado, when things were at their most uncertain, and my memory immediately thought of that night up in New Hampshire . It most definitely gave me comfort to remember that my most recent encounter with Danny was something so hilarious, outlandish… and typical of him.

January 10th, 2011 by Conor

Hi Conor, hi Danny! I want to give a piece of love for you. Just knew you for a short time with Tito last winter, but enough to share good experience, good laughing and great snowboarding, really good and fun people you are. I hope he is back in shape soon.

much love! here’s a little gift photo from the Andes.

January 10th, 2011 by Conor

It’s 3:31 AM. Danny is getting his teeth cleaned. She says he has nice teeth and I agree. Conor said he’s got the hair, the better metabolism, and he’s taller. Conor just got the geekier stuff (he said it, not me)…

…It’s Monday afternoon now. Last night was the first night that the nurse didn’t call the doctor. Danny stayed stable throughout the night and into today. He looks better, his neck is less swollen. He’s still all that I can think about. Conor is doing amazing things with this website and fundraising and all of you are giving so much love and support it’s incredible. I spent a little time today decorating Danny’s room with Ellen(or Els as I now call her). The wall is starting to look less bare and I’m sure Danny would appreciate the crafty touch. Talking to Ellen about Danny’s T-Shirt blanket they made together inspired me to start making some hats while I’m sitting next to him in his room. There’s five minutes left in the shift change before we can visit again…packing up and heading in.

-Michelle

I swear the chair is HUGE! ~ Conor

January 10th, 2011 by Conor

How did you meet Danny?

-My name is Christi Nasser and I meet Danny at Windells this past summer 2010, I had broken my foot and thought I could maybe help out at the demo shop where Danny and Jenny Curto were trying to get all the gear ready for the kids. Danny didn’t waste anytime; he had me sorting out and organizing Burton screws by size with him for as long as what seemed like forever at the time.

What was the funniest thing that ever happened while you were hanging out with Danny?

– One night in Staff housing I walked over to Danny, Paul and Moss’s room to see what the crew was doing. That room held nothing but laughter so I always wanted to get some laughs in. One night Danny and I were watching Moss who was trying to figure out how to put a battery into this camera. Moss was talking to himself out loud during every step on how he was going to put this battery into the camera. Danny and I were watching his every move and then we couldn’t hold the laughter in any longer we about fell on the ground laughing, Moss was still oblivious to it all. At the time, it was the best laugh I had had all summer. After that I just wanted to be around their good vibes all the time.

What is your fondest memory?

– Danny and I were both hurt at one point during the summer so we decided we would spend a day running our errands together around town. We had a blast shopping and eating it was the greatest errand running day known to man haha. I think he had more girly chores to run than any guy I have ever met, he took me to fabric stores, Michaels, Star bucks, book stores, the list goes on. I even won a bet on which bookstore we were in and I’ll never let Danny forget it. Haha.

How did Danny impact your life?

-Well After landing the best job in the world at Windells, I had only been working there about 3 weeks when I had an 800 pound stairset dropped on my foot and broke it real good. After this I was pretty upset and bummed which isn’t my personality at all. Being around Danny made me forget about the broken foot and made me realize that everything happens for a reason and I will be healed soon. He made me want to stay at Windells during the healing process and eventually my foot got better and I was back on the slopes and give all my thanks to Danny for that. He was always there for me when I needed a good laugh.

What are you most looking forward doing with Danny when you get to hang out next?

-We both have the weirdest almost addicting laughs and together its unstoppable, we sound like little evil elves taking over the world. So I can’t wait to reunite our laughs once again!

January 10th, 2011 by Conor

I will never forget the first time I saw Danny because of the impact it made on me my freshman year of college. I remember standing in line to get my key to my dorm room with my best friend from home that was helping me move in. We were talking about how different people were going to be up in NH compared to Boston and how I didn’t think I would meet any one like my friends from home. While we were having this conversation and standing in this line of about 150 kids I saw something that sparked my interest 2 people in front of me. It was Danny’s bleach blonde wild hair with dark roots. loved it. He was bouncing around and you could tell he was telling some kind of wild story he was really into. At that point my friend and I turned to each laughed and I said okay maybe I was wrong. Danny and I met the next day when all the freshman were wondering around trying to get to know each other. Right away I could just tell by his energy how positive and enlightened he was. We became very good friends freshman year very quickly. He was my shoulder to cry on and the only person that could make me laugh when I was have one of the horrible days. I just loved being around him because I felt apart of his aura which made every thing better. I have some many amazing memories with Danny but some that stick out the most are; Going to Omega the trashiest club in Manchester and tearing up the dance floor together, having movie nights but laughing the entire time which caused us to miss the movie, studying together and not getting any where because we could never settle down enough to focus, trying to convince him to let me borrow his hats because he had the best collection (of course Danny being Danny it wasn’t that hard), and lastly our conversations about life, love, and dreams when no one else was around. Danny always had a way of making every one around him feel loved, happy, and safe. I am so glad that he has so many people now who are doing that for him. If there is any one that deserves all of this support it’s DCT. Conor you are also a man to honor. Your love for your brother shows through and through and I’m sure of it that he feels it when you are in that room. He will make it through and be okay because he has to many people counting on him and he would never want to let any one down. The world will hear that unforgettable laugh again and be able to feel that incredible aura he has. Danny and your family are in my thoughts every day.

Tiffany Leger

January 10th, 2011 by Conor

For reasons unknown, I as well as many people was faced with a situation that is beyond severe. What has happened to my friend Danny is tragic, devastating , and there is no way to get away around that. 7 days ago my life and perspective on life was changed. For me this trip was a struggle to begin with, I had an incredibly bad feeling a week before I left. I talked to friends about it and of course I figured it was related to Tahoe and the large amount of snow we have been getting. Being an optimistic person and a person of my word I decided to push away my feelings and continue on with the trip no matter what was inside me. When it came down to it I just wanted to be with my friends.
Fast forward to Jan 3rd 2011, a nice bluebird day, everyone was stoked to ride and just have fun. Most people have not been to Teton Pass but it has a fun homey atmosphere. By this time the feeling I felt the week prior was pushed away and I was just stoked to be with all my friends. When it comes down to it if you don’t have friends you don’t have anything. To me my friends are my family.

The run before everything changed, the lift suddenly stopped and no one thought anything of it. We joked that we might have to sack up and jump off the lift. Of course we were too scared to actually do it! I was on the lift with Danny when it stopped and it was almost nice despite the cold temps. I had not seen or really talked to Danny in almost a month and like we always do, we got right into an in depth conversation. We talked about everything from his trip to Argentina and how I was now using the same computer he took with him, to relationships with girls…more importantly we were talking about life. For reasons unknown the lift stopped and I was able to have 30 minutes to talk about everything with Danny. This was awesome since we had grown to become such good friends. Finally the lift started up, now very stoked because it was so cold! I wouldn’t realize the importance of our conversation till later.
Standing on top of the feature that ultimately wrecked Danny , I was going to be the last to drop. Danny was getting ready to drop before me and was telling me a little bit about the feature. It was a small but fun looking air, the type of thing you would hit when you’re messing around. It was a 10-foot high hill where you jump up on to an adjacent run. The main thing Danny did say to me was “Moss, be real careful when you land that you don’t go into the trees.” Of course I was stoked he told me but really didn’t think anything of it. Anyone that knows Him and his snowboarding abilities knows Danny is hands down one of the most talented riders out there. I’m stoked when Danny drops to see what he is going to pull…A nice mellow backside 180 is what he throws. I’m thinking how can I one up Danny, but before all that happens I see him stray forward on his board and then out of my line of vision. It was obvious he went down when I saw a group of trees shake. Not fearing the worst I yell to Conor that I am going to skip the feature and make sure Danny is ok. What we rolled up on was not what we neither thought nor what anyone wanted to see. All I could see was his board wedged up against the trees, face first, head buried in the snow with Danny lodged in the trees . Holy shit…. what has just happened, was the thought running in my mind. The rest of the details are intense and not fun, bottom line, brutal. To see your friend in that state is devastating but collectively we all stepped up and played very valuable rolls to get our friend out of that situation and make sure he could get to help.

It’s been 7 days since the accident and many surgeries have ensued, emotions have been high. I spent 4 days sitting in the hospital hoping, praying, and trying to figure out what the hell has just happened. Trying to come to the realization that this has actually happened to us. Danny is one of the best people out there and I trust that his stubborn east coast attitude will help him get through all of this. For reasons unknown I as well as our crew were meant to be there when this happened.

Despite his injury I have only wanted to get back on my snowboard and ride harder then ever for Danny. However from now on I will wear a helmet and be an advocate for them. It has taken this accident for me to realize this and its time for people to suck up their pride and image and use this as a lesson. Everyone will get their own lesson out of this. I just hope everyone realizes it’s not worth it to not wear a helmet. Go ahead and be too cool and think this wont happen to you or your friends and it might not, but when it does just know your never too cool for a helmet and it is only there to protect you, your friends, and your family.

Cant wait to be with you again Danny!

Words by: Moss Halladay

January 10th, 2011 by Conor

It has been 7 days now since this happened. I can’t believe it has already been 7 days. Danny come back soon. We all love and miss you.

–Conor

January 10th, 2011 by Conor

A meeting will take place this Wednesday, January 12th 2011 at the Red Jacket in North Conway, NH at 7:00 PM. The meeting is going to be held in Hampshire Hall.

Please take a minute to understand the purpose of this meeting- to develop a fund raising plan and improve ideas that are in the making. My caution in this message is only to deter those that just want to attend a fund raising event. This is not an actual event, but rather a planning session.

There are a lot of people that have reached out that want to help, but we need to see how these resources will come together to make the most successful fund raising campaign that we possibly can.

People attending this meeting should be ready to discuss current ideas and contribute ideas of their own. They should also be starting to think about the ways they can can help whether it’s time, facilities, experience, connections, etc.

If you feel like you can contribute, and want to contribute, come meet with us at Hampshire Hall on Wednesday at 7:00 PM.