Chris Roma with his son, 2-year-old Solomon. Friends have responded to Roma’s death by posting memories and photos, honoring the lives he touched and his accomplishments in the outdoors.
A helicopter rescue was activated in an effort to find Christopher Roma, but officials were unable to fly near Mount Guyot due to low clouds and poor visibility on Wednesday. A helicopter was able to fly the following day for a recovery mission after the weather cleared.
Chris Roma with his son, 2-year-old Solomon. Friends have responded to Roma’s death by posting memories and photos, honoring the lives he touched and his accomplishments in the outdoors.
From GOFUNDME
NH Fish and Game
An experienced and respected hiker from Thornton perished in the White Mountains Wednesday, despite the heroic efforts of rescuers to reach him through heavy winds and blowing snow.
The victim was identified by New Hampshire Fish and Game as Christopher Roma, 37, a well-known outdoorsman who had hiked extensively in the White Mountains and around the country.
His death has sparked an outpouring of grief and love from friends and hiking companions online.
After Roma's body was recovered on Thursday, his family released a statement expressing gratitude to those who brought him home.
“The Roma family would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all of the rescue workers for their tireless efforts and to the community for coming together with their kind words and donations. They would also like to send a special thank you to Nick and Sean and the four members of the Mountain Rescue Service that never stopped searching. The outpouring support has brought the family comfort in this difficult time.”
The first sign of trouble came late Tuesday night, when Roma called acquaintances and reported being in distress, according to a statement from Fish and Game. They called 911 and told dispatchers that Roma, who was hiking solo, was thought to be in the area of Mount Bond, moving toward Bondcliff.
Later, Roma himself was able to get through to 911, enabling emergency responders to obtain GPS coordinates that placed him between Mount Bond and Mount Guyot. “Before the call was lost, the hiker stated he was very cold,” Fish and Game said in statement.
NH Fish and Game
A helicopter rescue was activated in an effort to find Christopher Roma, but officials were unable to fly near Mount Guyot due to low clouds and poor visibility on Wednesday. A helicopter was able to fly the following day for a recovery mission after the weather cleared.
NH Fish and Game
Facing a forecast of heavy winds, snow and temperatures in the single digits, rescuers from Fish and Game, Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team, and Mountain Rescue Service set out about 2 a.m. Wednesday.
They had to trudge through waist-deep snow, and once they got above the tree line, they faced heavy winds and blowing snow, Fish and Game said. That’s when they called the New Hampshire Army National Guard to request a helicopter team to attempt to rescue Roma.
A Guard team flew three flights to the Lincoln area on Wednesday but could not approach Mount Guyot because of low clouds and poor visibility, officials said.
A team from Mountain Rescue Service reached Roma about 5 p.m. on Wednesday, but he had succumbed to the brutal conditions. Rescuers left the mountain for the night but set out again the next morning to continue their efforts to recover Roma’s body.
Meanwhile, the cloud ceiling had lifted a bit and the National Guard helicopter team was able to land and recover the body about 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Fish and Game said.
Courtesy, MissionCleanWater
Chris Roma raised funds to support MissionCleanWater, which develops drinking water projects around the globe.
Courtesy, MissionCleanWater
Good life, hard loss
Raised in Thornton, Roma caught the hiking bug a few years after college, when friends challenged him to join their quest to climb the New Hampshire 48 — four dozen mountains that are 4,000 feet or higher. It changed his life, he wrote later: “Not only was it a physical transformation, but a mental transformation as well.”
Roma, whose trail name was Rafiki, went on to complete the “Triple Crown” of hiking — the arduous Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada (twice), the Continental Divide Trail from Montana to New Mexico, and the Appalachian Trail.
He started his own guide company, North East Trekking Co.
In a blog post, Roma wrote about the joy he found in some of the most difficult hiking challenges. “Every individual hike has its own unique way of being beautifully crafted into this handmade natural masterpiece,” he wrote.
Courtesy, MissionCleanWater
On his trekking company website, Roma said he wanted to educate others “about the dangers of the wild, the trials and tribulations, and the importance of sustainability.”
“I want to show you that if we take care of nature, nature will take care of us, mentally and physically,” he said.
News of his death has hit friends and loved ones hard.
On social media, one friend since childhood wrote, “I don’t even remember a time in my life where I didn’t know you… You will always be an older brother to me and I will forever miss you… “
Another wrote, “You will always be a part of the legacy of hiking and of our community…. and your son will grow up knowing what an amazing man and father you were …. rest in peace my brother.”
A celebration of Roma's life is planned for Saturday, Jan. 27th at 3 p.m. at the Indian Head Resort in Lincoln.
Friends have started a GoFundMe page to support Roma’s 2-year-old son, Solomon.
“While his family and friends are devastated by this loss, we find comfort knowing that he died doing what he loved,” they wrote. “Chris was a friend to so many, and he leaves behind a legacy of charity and compassion.”
Roma also was passionate about bringing clean water to needy communities, his friends said, and did many fundraising projects for MissionCleanWater, a nonprofit organization that develops drinking water projects around the world.
That organization paid tribute to Roma on its website (missioncleanwater.org/loveyouchris), recalling "his heart for the outdoors, helping others, and for his son."
"He had a level of resilience to him we had never seen before and always wanted to find ways of helping others whether it be his family, community, or complete strangers," the group wrote.
