Steve was born in Manchester, CT and graduated from East Catholic High School in 1989 and from Marist College in 1993 with a BS in environmental studies/biology. He learned to ski on a family vacation when he was five and never looked back.
To follow his dream of skiing and upon his father’s suggestion, he packed his car and moved to Jackson Hole later that year. For the next 6 years he worked at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. He started as a lift operator and moved up through the ranks until he was a lead operator. During those seasons, Steve spent his time honing his ski style and technique and began to explore backcountry skiing. In 1998, he began working at Moosely Seconds (now Moosely Mountaineering) in Moose, WY which soon evolved into year round employment at Skinny Skis where he worked for the next 14 years.
Steve served for several years as a member of Teton County Search and Rescue, assisting others in the Teton Valley. He was also a moving force behind Avalanche Awareness Night, securing donations for the auction and acting as emcee of the evening’s program.
In addition to his pioneering backcountry ski descents he was selected to be a member of the US Ski Mountaineering Team in 2006 and 2008. He competed in the World Championships which took him to Italy and Switzerland. To chase away the summertime blues, Steve would train for the ski season by competing in ultramarathons. His success in this venture secured him industry sponsorships from Nike and La Sportiva.
In 2006, Steve launched TetonAT.com, which is a “Website Dedicated to Backcountry Skiing and Ski Mountaineering in Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park”. On TetonAT, Steve documented his adventures, provided cutting-edge gear reviews, followed trends and news in the backcountry ski industry, and hosted a forum for passionate discussion about backcountry skiing ethics and exploits.
Due to the success of TetonAT and his ski exploits, Steve was sponsored by numerous outdoor industry companies including Black Diamond, Dynafit, Arcteryx, Ortovox, GU, Suunto, Nuun, and Mountain Khakis, among others.
While Steve logged impressive ski descents in New Zealand, Antarctica, South America, Mexico and Europe, the Tetons were sacred to him with the northern part of the range his sanctuary. It seems fitting that this was where he spent his final moments.
Steve Romeo and fellow backcountry skier Chris Onufer died in an avalanche on the north side of Waterfalls Canyon near Ranger Peak in Grand Teton National Park on March 7, 2012.
Steve was skier. His well known and oft-quoted mantra was “LIVE TO SKI”. For Steve there were two seasons: winter and waiting for winter. As he once said, “my inspiration comes from the mountains themselves. I love the silence, the wind, the sun, the ruggedness and contrast between the soft snow and the jagged rocks.”