CSU Student Dies In Colorado Avalanche

Sad news about a Colorado student who died in a weekend avalanche which happened at Cameron Pass on Saturday while taking a weekend ski trip.

Joe Phillpot(26) was the man who lost his life while skiing with his dog and friend. Phillpot was a Junior at CSU attending the Warner College of Natural Resources in Durango. Alex White(24) was with Phillpot at the time of the accident.

White did get trapped by the avalanche and endured being stuck for three hours in the packed snow. He was able to survive due to a wearing a breathing device which helped him get air while rescuers searched for them. White was wearing an avalanche beacon which led rescuers to him.

“His core temperature was incredibly low. He was in a hypothermic state,” Jackson County Sheriff Scott Fischer said. “He’s going to make a recovery. He should be released probably this week.”

It was believed that the dog may have been the cause of the avalanche which killed Phillpot on the scene while Phillpot and White were at the base of a ski hill.

The dog is still missing and believed to be dead.

This is the 4th avalanche fatality in Colorado this season.

Thoughts and prayers out to his family and friends.

[Coloradoan]