Friends and relatives from all around the area as well as work colleagues and representatives from Mountain Operations, Ski Patrol, Jindabyne Central School and police came together on Monday morning to pay tribute to Malcolm Ripper.
On a beautiful day over 400 people attended the open air service at the Sailing Club where Baptist Minister, Jeff Lachmund spoke of Malcolm as "a driven man with a high work ethic."
Mr Lachmund went on to say: "He was creative and has been described as a perfectionist; he was a man of integrity."
He talked about how Malcolm had met Marissa, dropping in for a cup of tea.
"Our heart goes out to you Michaela," he said. "He was a social being who loved people and obviously had many friends."
Mr Lachmund said that it was hard to make sense of these tragic events but there is a time for everything
"Life is like a clock with no hands; it is ticking but you never know when it will strike midnight."
Malcolm's brother, Doug thanked everyone for being there to help honour Malcolm.
"We grew up in hard circumstances and Mal had a high work and moral ethic. We grew up to be good friends."
He said that only the previously week Malcolm had phoned him to say that they should get together.
"He died doing something he loved. I will miss you and pray that God keeps you," Doug said.
Ron Webb first met Malcolm in 1986 when they were working on a ski lift construction in Mount Hotham.
"I was really impressed with his energy and enthusiasm," Ron said. "We struck up a friendship which continued over many years. His ability was evidenced by the multistorey house built by him and Marissa," Ron added.
"We shared a great friendship. We will miss you Mal."
Another brother, Norm, recalled talking about motorbikes with Malcolm who was passionate about the many motorbikes he had over the years and said that he loved to get out in the bush.
Malcolm's oldest sister, Stephanie, recalled spending a very special time in Jindabyne with the Ripper family 18 months ago and talked about how her daughter had been introduced to the snow previously.
"She is now learning to be a mountain paramedic, which is most fitting," Stephanie said.
More than half the 400 people went on to Rocky Plains Church for the burial and later returned to the Sailing Club for refreshments.
Perhaps one of the most poignant moments was when Malcolm Ripper's daughter, 13 year old, Michaela, stood up to deliver a eulogy to her father.
Michaela's Eulogy
Dad was a special man.
He was a perfectionist and a hard worker, traits which show in all that he has accomplished.
He lived his life doing what he loved and loving what he did.
The pride and praise he'd get at the end of a project would be enough to compel him onward. And on his day off, he would spend time with us. We'd go for family drives, work on little projects together, go for adventures and ski.
He was funny. I'll remember him for his laugh mostly. His own jokes would send him into fits of laughter that would cause everyone else to laugh along with him.
I'm proud of my Dad. For everything that he's accomplished. All that hard work he did for us. All the good times we had together.
"You can shed tears that he is gone,
Or you can smile because he lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see what he's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him,
Or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he's gone,
Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what he'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on"
(Poem written by David Harkins )