Tom Bonesio tried his best to reassure a dying snowshoer that help was on the way – even promising the stranger a beer if he would just hold on.
“We got him bundled up in our jackets to keep him warm and checked him out for injuries and stayed there with him,” Bonesio said. “We encouraged him and let him know he was going to get out of there.”
Despite the words of comfort and reassurance, 53-year-old Steven Bloom of Longmont died about five hours after he was buried up to his neck Saturday near Echo Lake.
Bloom was snowshoeing while his girlfriend skied ahead of him on snow-covered Colorado 5, the road to the summit of Mount Evans, when he slipped about 50 yards off the side of the road, said Clear Creek County sheriff’s Lt. Rick Albers.
The winding road, with steep dropoffs most of its length, is closed during the winter but is a popular spot for skiers.
Bloom called out to his girlfriend, whose name was not released, and her dog, Sweetie, just before the avalanche fell on top of him.
“We don’t know if the avalanche was natural or if his falling caused it,” Albers said.
Sweetie found Bloom buried up to his neck, and Bloom’s girlfriend managed to dig him out completely.
Bonesio, 52, of Evergreen, and two men were training nearby for a mountain climb and stopped to help the couple.
“We were keeping him positive and reassuring him that we were there for him and that we were not going to leave him, and keeping him coherent,” Bonesio said.
Bloom had cuts on his face and body and probably suffered internal injuries from the weight of the snow, Bonesio said.
“We talked about having a beer afterwards and told him that help was coming,” Bonesio said. “We talked about climbing fourteeners, and he had done 31.
“I mentioned to him that, if I was laying there, he would stay with me, and he said that he would.”
Bloom’s autopsy is planned for today or Tuesday.
The couple set out about 11 a.m. and Bloom fell about 2 p.m., Albers said.
Cellphone service was unavailable in the area, so one of the three men skied a couple of miles to call 911. By then, it was 4:30 p.m., Albers said.
Rescuers first tried to land a medical helicopter, but the terrain was unstable. Eventually, a helicopter dropped six rescuers near Bloom to render aid.
In that time, Bloom’s condition worsened, and he died at the scene at 7 p.m.
“Mountain people – we try to take care of each other,” Bonesio said. “Sometimes, it just doesn’t come out the way you want it to.”
The avalanche ran about 700 vertical feet. The crown was about 200 feet wide, but the debris narrowed down to a pile about 50 feet wide, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, a group that investigates avalanches.
“I cannot recall if there has ever been an avalanche up there,” Albers said.
“It’s not unusual to occur (in the area), but I cannot remember the last one up there.”
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
