‘Devastated.’ Avalanche kills snowshoer and two dogs in Colorado, authorities say

An avalanche swept away a party of backcountry snowshoers Friday, Feb. 26, near Marble, Colorado officials said.

Two managed to dig themselves out but a 27-year-old man and his two dogs died, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center reported. Their bodies were found Saturday, Feb. 27, after being buried by snow in a gully.

The slain man’s family identified him as Nate Schmidt of Colorado Springs, KDVR reported.

“All of us had hope until the very last moment when they found his body today because we knew if anyone could survive an avalanche, it would be Nathan,” cousin Laura Vitkavage told the station. “He’s just an all-around amazing guy, and we’re all just devastated.”

“We do know the last thing he did was tell his friends to run,” Vitkavage told KDVR.

The avalanche took place Friday afternoon near Beaver Lake in the Yule Creek drainage of Gunnison County, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release. That’s about 200 miles west-southwest of Denver.

The three people hit by the avalanche had been snowshoeing with a fourth person to a cabin in the area, sheriff’s officials said.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the avalanche was 50 feet wide and ran 250 feet vertically, with a 1- to 2-foot deep face of the crown.

This story was originally published February 27, 2022 at 2:24 PM with the headline "‘Devastated.’ Avalanche kills snowshoer and two dogs in Colorado, authorities say."