WINTER PARK — Spencer James Nelson was a gifted and driven athlete, an inspiring teammate, a trusted friend and a loving son, said friends and family who gathered Friday to memorialize the 20-year-old, who died Aug. 14 in a climbing accident near Aspen.
Hideaway Park overflowed with an estimated 1,500 people, including two busloads of athletes from the University of Colorado, where Nelson was a member of the ski team. The stage was lined with more than 30 ski boots filled with flowers. Photos on easels showed a young man remembered for his engaging smile and passion for the outdoors.
“He was rarely out-worked and his passion was undeniable,” Jeff Burrows, director of the Winter Park Competition Center and one of Nelson’s first coaches, said during the two-hour service. “To me he was inspiration and he made me a better coach.”
Richard Rokos, CU’s head ski coach, said he once asked Nelson why he had a smile on his face when he was going 60 mph down a grand slalom run in competition. “Because I’m having fun,” the skier responded.
“We all feel the loss of him,” Rokos said.
Mike Cronin, a longtime family friend and member of Grand County Search and Rescue, was among the climbing party at Maroon Peaks near Aspen where Nelson died. The group was descending from the South Maroon summit about 10 a.m. when a dislodged rock hit Nelson in the head and knocked him over a cliff.
Cronin said he started rappelling down to reach Nelson, who had fallen to his death 2,000 feet, landing in a snow-filled couloir.
“This was a terrible accident and many will have second thoughts about getting out there,” Cronin said. “But let’s enjoy the outdoors in his memory, with gusto, and think of Spencer when we do.”
Suzanne S. Brown: 303-954-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com
