BRECKENRIDGE, Co. – A New Year’s Eve skiing trip turned into a deadly excursion after a father and son were caught in an avalanche near Breckenridge.
Andy Feinstein, who is the president of the University of Northern Colorado, and his son Nick were skiing in a backcountry area called The Numbers, which is outside the Breckenridge Ski Resort boundary on Peak 10, according to the Summit County Rescue Group.
“They were caught in an avalanche at approximately 1:00 pm, with the father partially buried and the son fully buried. The father was able to dig himself out and had to ski out of the area to get cell phone reception for the 911 call, which he made at 1:40 p.m.,” the rescue group said in a statement on its Facebook page.
According to the rescue group, 23 of its members responded to the area in addition to the Breckenridge Ski Resort ski patrol and three members of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
“A probe line was formed to find the son and the onsite command confirmed that the subject was found by a dog team at 3:11, deceased. All rescuers were out of the field by 4:38 p.m.,” the statement reads in part.
“While President Feinstein did not sustain significant physical injuries, his 22-year-old son, a graduate of Greeley Central, did not survive the accident,” Jennifer Almquist, Andy Feinstein’s chief of staff, told 9News. “Our thoughts are with the entire Feinstein family at this incredibly difficult time. President Feinstein and his family are back home in Greeley. We have no additional details at this time and ask that the family’s wish for privacy be respected.”