Avalanche Kills Colorado Springs Snowshoer And His 2 Dogs

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — An avalanche killed a Colorado Springs snowshoer and his two dogs near Marble, officials said.

A group of four people and two dogs trekked on snowshoes to a backcountry home in the lower portion of Yule Creek on Friday, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said. Yule Creek is about 20 miles southwest of Aspen.

The group was snowshoeing along an unmaintained road.

When three members of the group and the dogs moved to a road that cut mid-slope along the side of a steep gully, they triggered an avalanche, officials said. A deep wall of snow pushed them down into the gully. Two people who were partially buried dug themselves out.

The other person, identified by family members as 27-year-old Nate Schmidt, and both dogs were completely buried and killed, officials said. Their bodies were recovered Saturday.

"Our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, and everyone affected by this tragic accident," the avalanche center said.

Schmidt was an Eagle Scout who had a passion for the mountains and the outdoors.

“He’s just an all-around amazing guy, and we’re all just devastated,” cousin Laura Vitkavage told KDVR-TV.

Schmidt and his friends were heading to a cabin to camp for the weekend, KCNC reported. They were at an elevation of about 8,200 feet when an avalanche was triggered. The wall of snow was about 50 feet wide and 250 feet in vertical height, the avalanche center said. The face of the crown was up to 2 feet deep, and it released on a west-facing, below-treeline slope.

Schmidt graduated from Rampart High School in 2012. He played offensive and defensive line for the boys varsity football team, according to his profiles on Hud and Max Preps.

Linda Schmidt told KDVR Nate took the Boy Scout motto and oath to heart.

“He just learned a lot of things in Boy Scouts, and he put one skill on another skill on another skill and he just loved it,” Linda Schmidt said.

Vitkavage said Schmidt was skilled in the outdoors and knew the terrain well. He was also trained in cold water survival techniques.

"He died doing what he loved, with his dogs he loved on an adventure in the great outdoors with friends he loved," his family said in a statement to CBS News. "His friends were rescued by incredible first responders. Thank you to those who fought for his life. His dogs were his companions to the end. We are so glad they were with him."

Before the group trekked into Yule Creek, Schmidt sent a video to family of his dogs playing in the snow.

His last words were to tell his friends to run, Vitkavage said.

“We do know the last thing he did was tell his friends to run,” she said. “Even in the emergency, he was the leader, and he was the one that …. did his best to protect his friends.”

A memorial was planned in Colorado Springs on Saturday.

The avalanche center instituted a special avalanche advisory from Thursday afternoon though Sunday for mountainous regions in Colorado. Backcountry avalanches have been consistently reported in the past couple weeks, the center said.

Eight people have been caught in avalanches since Friday, the nonprofit Friends of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said.

"Avalanche conditions are dangerous," the nonprofit said. "As the avalanche hazard rating starts to trend down this week, be sure to choose terrain conservatively, placing a wide buffer of safe terrain between you and where you think an avalanche might run."