Moment of Silence?EUR??,,????'??+Luke Oldenburg, Fort Collins, Colo. Landscape Architect

 

Luke Oldenburg

Luke Oldenburg, 31, a Minnesota native who earned degrees in landscape architecture and environmental design from North Dakota State University in Fargo, has died after being buried by an avalanche near Cameron Pass, Colo.

He and two friends were snowboarding Sunday Dec. 2 when the avalanche hit. Only Mr. Oldenburg was buried. His friends located him with the help of a beacon, extracated him from the snow and were able to revive him with CPR.

The red arrow indicates where Mr. Oldenburg was buried by the avalanche. Photo from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The friends wrapped Mr. Oldenburg in a sleeping bag to keep him warm. One of the friends went for help while the other began sliding him down the mountain, with help from others in the area. He was airlifted to a hospital about three hours after the avalanche. Mr. Oldenburg's brother, Adam, told LASN Luke hung onto life for just over a week, but passed away Dec. 10, 2007 at 1:30 a.m.