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Feinstein and his dad, University of Northern Colorado President Andy Feinstein, were hitting the slopes near Breckenridge Ski Resort on Saturday, Dec. 31 in a backcountry stretch known locally as The Numbers, said the Summit County Rescue Group.
At about 1 p.m, the pair were swept up in an avalanche that partially buried Andy and completely buried Nick, the volunteer group explained. The father was able to dig himself out and ski to an area with cell phone service to call 911, getting through to dispatch at about 1:40 p.m.
“One minute I was skiing and enjoying the powder, and the next minute I was riding what looked like a violent wave of whitewash," Andy recalled to the Greeley Tribune.
Three Summit County sheriff's deputies and 23 volunteers rushed to The Numbers to begin their search. A dog team located Nick at 3:11 p.m., by which point he had died, the Rescue Group said.
Born in Nevada and raised in California, Nick graduated from Greeley Central High School before enrolling at Penn State, where he studied enterprise technology integration, his obituary says.
The University posted a tribute to Feinstein on Twitter Thursday evening.
He was an avid outdoorsman and a lifelong skier with a "passion for life," and loved ones wrote they'll remember his adventurous spirit and his deeply caring personality.
In addition to his father Andy, Nick Feinstein leaves behind his mother, Kerry, his sister, Rachel, and many extended family members and friends, his obituary says.
Click here to read the full obituary at DignityMemorial.com.
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