Among those attending the informal ceremony by the plaque and distinctive memorial — a hand grasping an ice axe — were his brother, Andrew ‘Buzz’ Grant, sister Christine Kelly, old friends and members of the Bruce Grant Youth Trust — a charity established in his memory.
An Olympic downhill skier, mountaineer and adventurer, Grant perished while descending the world’s second-highest mountain, in Pakistan, during a violent storm on August 13, 1995.
The 31-year-old had just become the first New Zealander to summit the mountain without oxygen.
During the gathering, led by trust chair Craig ‘Ferg’ Ferguson, seven yellow roses were placed by the memorial in honour of Grant and the six other mountaineers who died as a result of the storm.
The trust’s raised about $500,000 over the years to support local youth.
Christine told the gathering the trust’s work helped to keep her brother’s memory alive.
"It really feels like Bruce has always been with us."
