34-year-old Northern California man identified as victim killed in Alpine Meadows avalanche
Cole Comstock’s wife logged on to Facebook to tell the world how much she loved him, a day before he was killed in an avalanche Friday at one of Tahoe’s most popular ski resorts.
“We have just melted the tip of the iceberg on what life has in store for us. I cannot wait for whats next and watch the dreams we have come to fruition,” Caitlin Comstock wrote Thursday morning. “You ARE my dream come true, and I am more proud of how amazing and hard working you are every day. I love you I love you I love you. Now, let’s go play in the snow.”
Comstock, 34, of Blairsden, California, was one of two men caught in a 10:16 a.m. avalanche at Alpine Meadows resort near the ski run known as Subway Cirque, located off the Scott chairlift.
The other man, whom officials haven’t identified, was hospitalized with “severe lower-body injuries,” according the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. Despite initial reports of “several unaccounted victims,” a search effort was called off after no additional skiers were reported missing or thought to be involved.
Apart from the Subway Cirque run, the rest of the resort remained open Friday.
Forecasters at the Sierra Avalanche Center warned of a possible avalanche that could “bury, injure, or kill a person” after a storm hit the region.
It’s not clear if the men caught in the avalanche were skiing together. The Sheriff’s Office released Comstock’s name within a few hours of finding his body Friday.
Comstock lived in Blairsden in Plumas County, a small Sierra town of fewer than 100 people. The next biggest town is Graeagle in an area 95 miles northeast of Sacramento.
He grew up in nearby Quincy, and had been an avid skier for 11 years, his family members said Friday in a written statement.
Cole and Caitlin Comstock married in 2016 after meeting through mutual friends over the Fourth of July weekend in 2015, the family said. They didn’t have children.
In her post the day before he died, his wife said she knew she loved him at first sight.
“I found my twin flame at 28 and INSTANTLY knew he was meant for me, and wasted no time letting anyone else have the opportunity to snag him,” she wrote in the post above a photo of her husband, smiling, sitting shirtless on a tropical beach. “That’s right ladies, I asked him to marry me. ... This is 2020. Know your heart, know your worth, stand tall and proud in your decisions and your design and do NOT let a good man go when he looks like this and has a heart of gold.”
Their friends quickly began flooding the post with condolences Friday afternoon.
In the statement released by Comstock’s family, they described him as someone who “loved living life” and who always was generous and kind to others.
“He deeply loved his friends, his family, and, above all, his wife,” their statement read. “He supported everyone with all of his heart and was a true example of unconditional love. If there is one thing about Cole’s life to take away, remember to always be kind to one another and celebrate each other’s victories — not because you need something, but because it is the right thing to do.”
This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 2:40 PM with the headline "34-year-old Northern California man identified as victim killed in Alpine Meadows avalanche."