Scott ‘Scotty’ Howard Lapp
Scott “Scotty” Howard Lapp of Olympic Valley, California, passed away on February 13, 2022, at the age of 16. Scotty died doing what he loved most, skiing in the beautiful mountains of Tahoe.
Scotty was born January 27, 2006 in San Francisco to Amy and Jason Lapp. At aged 6 months the family moved to the Paradise Cay neighborhood of Tiburon, where he lived until his move to Olympic Valley, CA. Scotty attended Reed Elementary, Bel Aire School, and St. Hilary Catholic School. Scotty spent his freshman year at Redwood High School in Larkspur, and moved to Olympic Valley in August 2021, where he attended North Tahoe High School and was enrolled in the Ski Academy Program.
Scotty was a great friend, son, grandson, nephew, cousin and an incredible older brother to his best friend, Ryan. He was loved by many and always made new friends. His love for life, kindness and helping others shone through in all he did.
On any given day in or around Paradise Cay, you would find Scotty taking photographs, skateboarding, rock climbing, inventing something fun to do, wakesurfing, foiling, or flipping off a dock. He also loved to surf and spent time shredding in Hawaii with his extended family.
To Scotty, every day was the best day ever. Scotty was not only an adventurer but also an artist who took an interest in photography and had a gift for capturing the beautiful surroundings in Marin and the Sierra. Often described as a bright light to those around him, Scotty’s smile brought joy to everyone, and he spread positivity everywhere he went. There was rarely a sunset that Scotty didn’t see. He was inspired by beauty and his natural surroundings.
Scotty’s greatest passion was skiing. In 2021, his family moved to Olympic Valley so Scotty and his brother Ryan could live in the mountains and ski every day. Scotty loved jumps, chutes, powder, windlips, steeps, cliffs, rails, and anything downhill. He was a Freeride competitor with Team Palisades Tahoe. He was a loyal teammate who loved cheering on and inspiring his friends to do their best.
Scotty was happiest in the mountains and being connected to nature. He was a natural-born leader who cared deeply about his friends, his family, and his community. Several years ago, Scotty and a few friends cut up a CLIF BAR sticker and rearranged the letters to read ‘FLIC.’ Scotty placed the newly formed FLIC sticker on his ski helmet and breathed his passion and leadership into FLIC, which has become a community, lifestyle and brand that has spread far beyond the Tahoe basin.
Scotty is survived by his parents, Amy and Jason; his brother Ryan; great-grandparent June Lapp (Manchester, NJ); grandparents Diane Lapp (Albuquerque, NM), Howard Lapp (Oxford, MD), Marrianne Scotten (Lake City, FL), Don Kline (Culver, IN), and Janet Kline (Culver, IN); aunts and uncles Scott & Pat Kline (Sacramento, CA); Ann Margaret Kline (Bakersfield, CA); Mark & Jen Kline (South Bend, IN); Tara & Dan Shupack (Wailuku, HI); Justin Lapp (Kula, HI); cousins Rae Uriostegui (Los Angeles, CA), Annabelle Kline Zilles (New York, NY), Hannah Lewis (San Francisco, CA), Morgan Lapp (Easton, MD), Sara & Ashley Heron (Hermosa Beach, CA), Seth & Ali Kline (Florida), Christiana Kline (South Bend, IN), Mia Shupack (Wailuku, HI), and Emmett Shupack (Wailuku, HI), and so many friends.
A celebration of Scotty’s life was held at the Olympic Valley Lodge Events Center on Friday, February 18, and over one thousand people were in attendance. He touched people in every phase of his life with his infectious smile and love of life as was evident at this celebration.
A Go Fund Me page has been set up in Scotty’s name. The Scotty Lapp Memorial Skate Park fund has been organized as his family would like to build a skate park in Tahoe City, CA, not only to memorialize their son but to provide a place for kids and adults to come together in movement and in their passion for skatingboarding. www.gofundme.com/f/scotty-lapp-skate-park.