A memorial service for Aspen skier John Nicoletta will take place tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Aspen Square Hotel. The service is open to all friends, fans and the public.

Anyone who cannot attend but has words for the family can send an e-mail to wordsforjohnny@gmail.com [1].

Nicoletta, a 27-year-old professional skier and waiter at Campo de Fiori, died after tumbling down the rocky face of the Headwall at the Alyeska ski area in Girdwood, Alaska, during a freeskiing competition. Originally from Massachusetts, he has made a name for himself on the freeskiing circuit, boasting a second place finish at the Telluride contest of the U.S. Freeskiing Championships earlier this season.

Today’s will be at least the third gathering in memory of Nicoletta since his tragic accident on Friday. On Saturday morning, more than 200 athletes and others associated with the Alaska competition gathered to pay tribute to Nicoletta at the top of the competition venue, while a smaller group did the same on Aspen Mountain, then skied down  Pandora’s run together. About the same time, a group of Aspenites foreran the Alyeska competition venue, friend and fellow AVSC coach Willie Volckhausen urged the gathered Aspen group to ski powder because that’s what Nicoletta would want.

“Now he has a powder day every day,” said Volckhausen on Saturday morning.

Impromptu remembrances were also held in Crested Butte and Jackson Hole, and words were shared at the final awards ceremony at Alyeska last night, according to Adam Comey, president of Mountain Sports International, which puts on the U.S. Freeskiing Series.

“This has hit hard across the board,” said Comey, who estimated that the freeskiing community numbers in the thousands. “It’s a giant family, there’s no two ways about it. I don’t think anyone can get over this. (The mood) is somber, but at the same time most of the athletes feel it’s a disservice to dwell on it. It’s not just Aspen that’s hurting; the word spreads quickly and it hits hard on everybody.”

Comey expressed some frustration at initial erroneous press reports of the accident, which were based on the comments of Alaska police. Nicoletta took a popular line in the venue — one that was chosen by most of the top skiers, said Comey — and, after landing a 20-foot drop, unfortunately lost his footing at the top of a steep, unforgiving rocky field, tumbling hundreds of feet down. Nicoletta was widely regarded as a smart, talented skier who always chose his line wisely.

According to Powder magazine, it was the first skier death in North America in the 17-year history of competitive big mountain skiing. A competitive accident in Switzerland last year led to a slight change in judging, reducing the emphasis on big lines.