Man with 'love of outdoors' is buried alive in snow as avalanche hits ski trip
Tributes have been paid to a man who died in an avalanche in Idaho this week while out skiing with friends.
Authorities confirmed that they recovered the body of Corey Zalewski on Friday following an avalanche that occurred on Thursday near Stevens Peak. Three men had been backcountry skiing when the avalanche occurred close to the Montana border.
Emergency services rescued two men on Thursday, Landon E. Crecelius, and David R. Sittser, and it later transpired they were with a third. Rescuers returned to the search on Friday where Zalewski was later recovered.
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Corey Zalewski was out skiing with friends from college when the avalanche ocurred (Linkedin)The three men are alumni from Whitworth University, Crecelius being a current staff member at the school. The school released a statement on Saturday confirming the sad news.
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The college's president confirmed that alumnus and staff member Crecelius survived the avalanche and has since been released from hospital with a broken forearm. The college offered its "deep condolences" to the family of Corey Zalewski, describing him as being known for his "positivity, sense of humor, energy, intelligence and love of being active outdoors."
According to LinkedIn, Zalewski graduated with a Bachelors degree in Marketing at Whitworth University in 2013 before going on to complete a Masters degree at the school. He spent the last two years working at Accenture in Washington.
Zalewski's friends were rescued on Thursday after authorities received a GPS alert of a possible fatality in an avalanche near Stevens Peak, close to the Montana border. The two men were discovered after using a GPS texting device with rescuers shortly before 3pm on Thursday, the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office said in a statement posted on social media. Following a search of the area, the pair were located and transported for medical care, the sheriff's office said.
A discussion with the rescued men led authorities to believe the third man in the skiing party had perished at the avalanche site. After the search was postponed for the night, the body of the third skier - later identified as Zalewski - was located Friday afternoon, the sheriff's office said.
The statement, from Whitworth College President Scott McQuilkin, said: "It is with a heavy heart that I share that three Whitworth alumni, including a current staff member, were involved in an avalanche near Stevens Peak in Shoshone County, Idaho, yesterday afternoon. It is with the families’ permission that I share this news.
"Alumnus Corey Zalewski ’13, MBA ’14, died in the avalanche. Staff member Landon Crecelius ’04, Whitworth’s director of student success & equity and the learning center, and David Sittser ’07, son of Professor Emeritus Jerry Sittser, coordinated with search and rescue and met them near the trailhead.
The avalanche occurred in Idaho (Getty Images)"Landon suffered a broken forearm and has been released from medical care. I offer my deep condolences to Corey’s family, including his parents David and Mary Zalewski, brother Colin Zalewski ’11, and sister-in law Shannon (Eshoff) Zalewski ’11, and to Olivia Carkulis ’16.
At Whitworth, Corey majored in marketing and went on to earn his Master of Business Administration. He worked on the institutional advancement team at Whitworth at the start of his career.
"Corey was known for his positivity, sense of humor, energy, intelligence, and love of being active outdoors. Please join me in prayer for Corey’s family as they grieve this tragic loss.
"I also ask for your prayers for Landon, David and their families – beloved members of the Whitworth community – as they navigate the difficult road ahead. As our community processes and grieves this news, pastoral support is available from our campus pastors. God’s peace, Scott McQuilken"
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A statement from Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office shared to social media said: "Today the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office conducted a retrieval mission for the presumed deceased individual that had been caught in an avalanche. We worked closely with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office (providing air assets), Kootenai County Search and Rescue, Silver Valley Search and Rescue, Silver Mountain Ski Patrol, and Shoshone County Groomers.
"We were able to extract the individual early this afternoon. The deceased skier has been identified as Corey J. Zalewski. The two other skiers that were rescued last night have been identified as Landon E. Crecelius, and David R. Sittser. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Corey’s family as they are remembering the life of this great man."
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