Family remembers Utah man killed in Wyoming avalanche
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Andrew Adams, KSL
SPRINGVILLE, Utah (KSL.com) — Family members on Thursday were remembering a Utah man killed in an avalanche in Wyoming as an adventurer who loved life and others around him.
According to his family, 31-year-old Nicholas Bringhurst was snowmobiling with one of his good friends Sunday in the backcountry near Star Valley when the avalanche came down.
RELATED | Avalanche in Wyoming claims life of Utah man
Mother Cindy Bringhurst and other family and friends gathered Thursday afternoon and were reflecting on Nicholas’ life, including “his smile, his laugh, the joy he brought everybody.”
“One thing you’ll notice in a lot of Nicholas’ pictures is his smile,” the mother said during an interview with KSL. “He was just always there, loving others.”
Bringhurst described her son as an outdoorsman from the start, learning to snowmobile and waterski at the age of 4 and snowboard at the age of 5.
She said Nick met his wife when they were both working as river guides in Moab, and their outdoor adventures together were an ongoing part of their marriage.
“They loved rafting; he loves kayaking,” she said.
Bringhurst said her son was an extremely experienced snowmobiler and was well-equipped when he went out Sunday with his friend, Caden Spencer.
The mother called Spencer “our hero,” after he did what he could to save Nicholas’ life.
Spencer told KSL they had gone snowmobiling “hundreds of times” and it was a beautiful day before the avalanche struck.
“He was a dang good snowmobiler,” Spencer said, still visibly emotional over the unexpected loss.
Cindy Bringhurst said the family had a home at the south end of Star Valley, and it was a regular occasion for her son to go with his wife and friends into the outdoors there.
“We have loved our time up there with Nicholas and Lauren,” the mother said. “Because of this house, the last 4 1/2 years we got a lot of really quality time with Nicholas and Lauren when they would come up and we were all together.”
Relatives set up a GoFundMe* account to help Bringhurst’s widow in the near term with expenses.
The family shared many pictures of the couple appearing happy together in the outdoors.
“As we’re going through all these pictures, the thing that I love seeing is that he was with Lauren,” Cindy Bringhurst said.
She said she hoped others would reflect on how her son lived his life.
“That’s what I want people to take away from it,” Cindy Bringhurst said. “Live your life, live big and love other people.”
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