Inge Sadie Perkins

Inge Sadie Perkins, 23 years old of Bozeman, Montana, died in an avalanche on the approach to Imp Peak in the southern Madison Range on October 7, 2017. Inge was born in Bozeman to Heidi Hersant and Steve Perkins on the weekend before Sweet Pea, July 30th, 1994. With her sparkling blue eyes reminding us of the Adriatic Sea, she was the love of our life. Inge graduated early from Bozeman High School in January 2012. She immediately set out on adventures in California and the West to celebrate her achievements and pursue her passion for climbing. She started her first year of college in Colorado at Fort Lewis College. While studying mathematics, she worked at the climbing gym in Durango and tutored at the college. In recent years, her summers were spent in Lander, Wyoming, where she felt at home, worked at the Cowfish Restaurant and thrived in the climbing environment of Lander. Between her freshman and sophomore years, she was invited to au pair for a German family with twins in Bamberg, Germany. The family of doctors for the German Mountaineering Team made Inge feel instantly at home and welcomed into the European climbing, skiing, and running community. She became fluent in German and holds a record for the local running club. Inge returned to the United States and continued her studies at Montana State University. She majored in mathematics with a minor in German combined with a teaching degree. In 2016, Inge met the love of her life, Hayden Kennedy, at an ice climbing festival. With a zest for their new relationship, and a year before Inge’s final semester at MSU, the happy couple took a year to pursue their shared passion of skiing in Jackson, Wyoming, and climbing in Europe and across the West. Inge had returned to MSU after the magical year to complete her degree and do her student teaching in Belgrade, Montana. She leaves behind her parents Heidi Hersant of Kronberg, Germany; Steven Perkins of Bozeman, Montana; brother, Gunnar Perkins of Berlin, Germany; sister, Katrina Perkins of Denver, Colorado; stepbrother, Christopher Carter of Bozeman, Montana; stepfather James Carter of Kronberg, Germany; grandmother Barbara Hersant of Guilford, Connecticut; Grandfather Robert Perkins of The Villages, Florida; various aunts and uncles, cousins including Mackenzie Fisher of Bozeman, Montana. She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Darryl Hersant of Berlin, Germany and grandmother, Beverly Perkins of Columbus, Ohio. The family Inge left behind would like to express their appreciation for the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center, and the Gallatin County Search and Rescue Center and their associated volunteers for their support and successful return of their daughter.

A gathering of family and close friends will be held to honor the life and spirit of Inge on 18 October 2017 at the Bridger Bowl Ski Area in the Jim Bridger Lodge at 17:00. Please feel free to bring your best lavender muffins. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, people consider making a charitable donation in her name to the Wyoming Outdoor Council (https://wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org/), 262 Lincoln St, Lander, WY 82520, which works on projects dear to Inge’s core beliefs, including land access, land conservation and securing wildlife habitat.