Son, 22, of University of Northern Colorado president is killed in avalanche while backcountry skiing with his father on New Year’s Eve
- Nick Feinstein was backcountry skiing near the Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado with his father on Saturday when he was caught in an avalanche
- Andy Feinstein managed to dig himself out of the snow and call for help, but it was too late for Nick who was found dead two hours later
- The Feinsteins were an extremely outdoorsy family and Nick was an experienced skier who had been hitting the slopes since he was five
The son of a university president was killed on New Year’s Eve in an avalanche that occurred while he was backcountry skiing with his father.
Nick Feinstein, 22, and his father Andy Feinstein were caught in an avalanche near the Breckenridge ski resort in Colorado, in an area known as The Numbers.
Both men were experienced outdoorsmen and skiers.
The avalanche occurred at roughly 1pm on Saturday burying Nick and partially burying his father, who is president of the University of Northern Colorado.
Nick (Left) Feinstein and his father Andy (Right) Feinstein were both trained outdoorsmen who enjoyed camping, climbing, fishing and skiing together
A team of nearly two dozen rescuers and canine teams were on the scene at Breckenridge shortly after the avalanche – two hours after the snow fell, a canine team found Nick’s body
Andy was able to dig himself out of the snow and ski to an area with cell phone reception to call 911 at 1.40pm.
A team of more than 20 rescuers and search dogs descended on the area to search for Nick. A dog team recovered his body at just past 3pm in about three feet of snow.
Andy described the moment the avalanche descended without warning: ‘One minute I was skiing and enjoying the powder, and the next minute I was riding what looked like a violent wave of whitewash,’ he told the Greeley Tribune.
Feinstein also described using his fingertips to dig himself a window in the snow that was covering his head. He said he wasn’t sure how he survived.
Nick had been a senior at Penn State University where he was studying enterprise technology integration, according to his parents Kerry and Andy Feinstein.
He had recently accepted a job in finance in Denver, where he was excited to move with his friends to continue pursuing an outdoor lifestyle.
Nick had been skiing since age five, said his parents, and was eager to begin a life that afforded him the opportunity to ski and mountain climb.
‘All he wanted to do with any and all of his free time was climbing and being in the outdoors. He wanted to buy a pickup truck for it, and he wanted to be able to just go anywhere. He loved the lifestyle,’ said his mother Kerry.
The Feinstein family have long spent time in nature and enjoyed an active Colorado lifestyle. Pictures from left to right are Andy, Nick, Rachel and Kerry Feinstein
In addition to his parents, Nick is survived by his younger sister Rachel with whom he had a close relationship
Nick had accepted a post-graduation job in the finance sector in Denver, Colorado where he was excited to live with his friends and spend his free time skiing and climbing
The Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado, close to where Andy and Nick were skiing Saturday before the avalanche
The Feinsteins are an extremely outdoorsy clan and enjoy skiing, hiking, camping, and fishing. Nick and his parents were also avid climbers, each having promised to summit all of the 54 Colorado mountain peaks that are more than 14,000 feet above sea level.
As of 2022, Nick had climbed 25 of them.
His father now says, ‘I will be climbing the ones he didn’t climb.’
In addition to his parents, Nick is survived by his younger sister Rachel, who called Nick ‘the best big brother and role model.’
‘He taught me everything that I know, really, about growing up,’ Rachel continued
‘He was honest to me all the time, even when I didn’t want him to be. I really want to emphasize not only how good of a person he was but how good of a big brother he was. I will forever learn from him,’ she said.
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