Father Recounts Harrowing Moment Avalanche Buried Him Alive and Killed His Son: 'Violent Wave of Whitewash'
University of Northern Colorado
A father is recalling the gripping details of an avalanche that buried him alive and killed his son.
Andy Feinstein and son Nick Feinstein were out backcountry skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado, when they were hit by an avalanche. Nick 22, died, and his father managed to survive the ordeal.
Now Andy, who is also the President of the University of Northern Colorado, is speaking out about the fatal avalanche.
He revealed to the Greeley Tribune that his whole body was overtaken by the avalanche.
"I literally had to use my fingertips to dig out a pocket for me to see light and to dig out," Andy said before opening up about the moment the avalanche happened. "One minute I was skiing and enjoying the powder, and the next minute I was riding what looked like a violent wave of whitewash."
RELATED: Utah Ski Resort Employee, 29, Dies After Falling from Chairlift That Was Struck by Tree
Obituary
The family is no stranger to outdoor sports. Before his untimely death, Nick and his parents agreed to climb all of Colorado's mountains, Andy told the Greeley Tribune. Nick conquered 25 while Andy climbed 42. Nick's mom and Andy's wife, Kerry Feinstein, has climbed 26.
Andy vowed to complete his son's goal.
RELATED: Bodies of 4 Who Died in Gulf of Mexico Helicopter Crash Are Recovered
"I will be climbing the ones he didn't climb," he told the outlet.
A family friend, Jeff Tori, opened up to Denver's Fox affiliate KDVR about the moment he was told about the deadly avalanche. Nick was previously employed at Tori's company 21s Century Painting for two summers.
"I got a call and they said, 'did you hear about Andy and Nick?' and instantly everything just falls inside of you and everything just sinks into your stomach," said Tori.
RELATED VIDEO: Drone Films Buffalo Neighborhood After Deadly Blizzard
He shared that when Andy first asked him to hire Nick, he didn't hesitate to say yes.
Speaking about Nick's kind character, Tori said, "I had an employee who didn't drive so Nick, for those two summers, picked him up every single day, taking him to work, and took him home every night. This employee would give him gas money."
He continued, "After that second summer when Nick knew he wasn't coming back, he gave me a card to give to that employee. Nick had saved all that gas money and gave it back to the employee in a gift card to Trader Joe's. That was the type of person he was."
Local volunteer rescue organization Summit County Rescue Group described the avalanche in a statement, writing that their rescue team was called out to help following a backcountry avalanche with "confirmed burials" around 2:05 p.m. on Saturday.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The father-and-son skiers had been caught in an avalanche about an hour before, "with the father partially buried and the son fully buried," the statement said.
Though Andy was able to dig himself out of the snow, he had to ski out of the vicinity to get cell reception, and he called for help around 1:40 pm.
A variety of teams including the Breckenridge Ski Patrol and the Sheriff's Office also responded for the search and rescue efforts, according to the rescue group statement, but the younger man was found deceased by a team of search dogs shortly after 3 p.m.
Nick was a senior at Penn State University and was set to graduate in the spring. He previously graduated from Greeley Central High School in 2019, KDVR reported.
Nick's celebration of life is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m., according to the Greeley Tribune. His family is asking supporters to make a donation to the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative in Nick's name.
