Author’s note: On the morning of January 4, 2017, a group of seven Salidans milled about at Uncle Bud’s Hut, a popular backcountry refuge near Leadville in the Sawatch Range. While most were finishing breakfast or gearing up, two members of their party, 46-year-old Brett Beasley and 15-year-old Cole Walters-Schaler, stepped outside, itching to commence the day’s skiing adventure.