Chenoa Lynn Plank

Chenoa Lynn Plank (1992-2018), our loving daughter and sister, passed away last week in Wasatch County at the age of 26. Chenoa was born to Louis Plank and Rhonda Smith in West Lebanon, New Hampshire in late autumn of 1992. She leaves behind her parents and her two sisters, Maya and Christina. She is also survived by her adventure sidekick and canine companion, Hazel.

She was a graduate of Bountiful High School and the University of Utah. As a Bountiful Brave she proudly played soccer, basketball and ran track and field. “CC”, as friends and family knew her, spoke German her whole life, was a lover of nature, a conservationist, and ardent adventurer. She lived her life with an insatiable curiosity for what might lie around the next bend in the trail or river, beyond the next false summit, or what secrets she may discover dropping into the next snowy chute on a “pow” day. Her friends and family were very important to her and were ceaselessly amazed at her ability to empathize with others, illuminate a space with her energy, sarcasm and sense of humor. Her energy and warmth were captivating and instantly made friends of strangers. Her broad, beautiful smile and infectious laugh brightened the whole house. She was a brand new aunt who fell head-over-heals in love with Baby Sam. He was one of her new frontiers.

Chenoa embraced animal rights, social justice and living simply. She got her Native American heritage from her Western Shoshone grandmother, Roselyne, and the two shared a special bond. Her outdoorsmanship she inherited from her wildlife biologist Grandpa Muggs. She adored both sides of her family and made all of us so proud. Speaking for myself and her mother, her loss will be unbearable.

CC loved her community in Sugar House and said she could live nowhere else. She loved her ever loyal dog. She used to say of businesses, “If they don’t let Hazel in, we just go somewhere else.” Our girl was an accomplished violinist and competitive fiddler. She loved canoeing, climbing, mountain biking, fly fishing and motorcycles, but her passion was skiing. From back country skiing to racing, her first love was telemark, in spite of two ACL surgeries. She worked at several ski areas in Utah and Colorado, but her ski home and favorite job was at Alta.

Already a “veteran” alpine fixed-heel skier at the age of 5 navigating High Boy, she learned to free-heel at Alta on the old rope tows when she was 6 years old. In time, her sisters would follow her lead, always touting the mantra “Free your heel, and the mind will follow!” It was common to hear skiers shout cheers from the Supreme Lift at the little girl on tele boards attacking steep, difficult terrain below. Working there was a dream come true for her and she wanted to do it the rest of her life. She said every season opening was like being born again.

When the first snowflakes begin to fall this week, we’ll look to the sky and be reminded that you, like a snowflake, were so unique and beautiful, ever the harbinger of the joy that will be. We’ll miss you, our sweet angel, and think of you every time we explore your secret fishing holes on the Eagle, Green and Missouri, your haunts in the Rubies, your favorite routes at Maple and The City, and your hallowed trails and traverses at Alta. Hazel will be there too, up ahead in the trail wondering if you might be around the next bend.

Our family deeply thanks all of CC’s friends and family members for their unwavering support in this really difficult time. Wherever you are, CC, our beautiful girl — Go, li’l tele ripper, go!

A celebration of Chenoa's life will be held on Friday evening, November 23, 2018 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Russon Mortuary, 295 North Main Street, Bountiful, Utah. Funeral services will be held the following day, Saturday, November 24, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at the Russon Mortuary, with a visitation held from 1:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. prior to the service. Online guestbook at www.russonmortuary.com.

A GoFundMe account has been setup in Chenoa's honor. Please visit at: https://www.gofundme.com/chenoa-plank-funeral.

We have also established the Chenoa Plank Memorial Fund which is a scholarship fund set up to assist lift operators at Alta Ski Resort in obtaining EMT Training. Chenoa loved being a lift operator and was moving towards becoming a ski patroller. Ski patrollers are crucial first responders in ski accidents and avalanche rescue and recovery. The appreciation that the Plank family has for search and rescue professionals coupled with CC’s love of all things Alta helped to make the decision to start this scholarship fund so that lift operators like Chenoa can get the EMT training they need to move on to ski patrol work. The fund is set up at America First Credit Union under Chenoa Plank Memorial account, number XXX6428.  Donations can be made at any America First Credit Union branch or through inter-bank transfers.