Avalance: Lessons of Love

This is a nonfiction work about overcoming loss and tragedy. Alfonso Ochoa was a successful Mexican industrialist who was also an adventurer. As he had done before, in 1991, he flew from his home in Guadalajara to the Bugaboo Mountains in Canada for helicopter skiing with his buddies. He left behind his wife of 17 years and their six kids, the youngest being less than a year old. He never came back alive. On the day of his death, Alfonso was the only one of the Mexican crew who wanted to get in one more run, so he joined some others for a lift back up the mountain while his buddies retired after a beautiful and exciting day. On the last run, there was an avalanche that killed Alfonso and 8 others. Only the guide somehow survived. Alfonso’s wife, Kris, is an American woman who tells this story. There’s an evil brother-in-law, Francisco Ochoa, who stole her businesses and her fortune. Although she knew it was against long odds, Kris sued the tour company that put her husband in harm’s way, but the Canadian courts did not find in her favor. Then, she was countersued and had to pay back the attorney fees for the very people that were responsible for her husband’s death. Real life can not only be stranger than fiction, but also crueler. Meanwhile, Kris had to raise her family, but she had to do so without her wealth. Each of the family members went through turmoil in the face of moves from Mexico to San Diego, not only changing schools, but also changing languages and cultures. But, Kris is far more than a survivor – her life is a testament to perseverance and faith. For an atheist like me, it was hard to identify with some of the passages when she referenced and emphasized her belief in God. But, she also wrote about using meditation and spirituality to keep her mind on track. She found her way into another wonderful relationship, a man who she completely loved and who totally filled the role of father to her six children. After some great years together, her second husband died suddenly from pancreatic cancer, so Kris was back in the midst of hardship without a partner to help her through. She tells the rest of her story, bringing you up to the present, regarding how she bounced forward another time. Sometimes, I thought the writing was a bit weak, but the story is gripping, one that you won’t put down. It is a remarkable, compelling, and true story of love, loss, and triumph.