Heartache in the mountains of Colorado and Utah this month as friends and colleagues remember Tina Biddle, a beloved skier, ski patroller and mentor to young women.
Biddle died unexpectedly in Utah on Dec. 1. She was 58.
Opening day was a week away at Snowbird, where Biddle was the resort’s first female ski patrol director, known as “Ma” to patrollers like Ellie Martin.
“We miss her, and we love her,” Martin tells Krystal 93. “We’re trying to carry her legacy on and make her proud in everything we do.”
Martin grew up skiing at Snowbird and knew of the “legendary” Ma Biddle years before joining patrol. She remembers the day after a big snowstorm, when she joined Biddle to find and uncover boundary rope. It was hard, grueling work, but her boss never stopped smiling and joking.
“She was such a great leader who led by example, and I always valued that about her. She never asked you to do something she would never do herself,” Martin continues. “She always said, ‘Take care of yourself and take care of each other.’ This season I’m going to hold that close to me, taking care of myself and looking out for my teammates, and smiling in the sun.”
Come summertime Biddle was here in Breckenridge, timing races like the Breck Epic and Firecracker 50 with the Mav Sports crew. The owner, Jeff Westcott, says he can hardly believe she’s gone.
“I’m numb, in shock and terribly sad,” Westcott, known as Westy, wrote in a memorial post on Instagram the day after her passing. “I will miss (her) terribly.”
Writes another colleague, Snowbird Snow Safety Supervisor Johanna Kelly, for the American Avalanche Association: “Tina Biddle was an absolute force of nature. She exemplified the traits of a strong leader who inspired enthusiasm and drive in those of us who were lucky enough to work with here… Tina may not be here to guide us anymore, but she’ll be present in every part of the mountains she loved and the people who loved her fiercely.”
A Snowbird nonprofit, Friends of Hidden Peak, has created a scholarship in Biddle’s name, supporting women on ski patrol. They request donations to the scholarship in lieu of flowers.
A Tina Biddle celebration of life is scheduled for Dec. 18 at Snowbird at 6:30 p.m. The resort is offering discounted lodging ($99/night) at the Cliff Lodge.
A local memorial comes to Carter Park in Breck on June 18, 2026.
Preview image via Snowbird on FB.
