March Birthdays 
Nathan Ginn recently celebrated his 50th birthday with his twin brother via a surprise birthday celebration arranged by his wife. A couple of weeks later, while powsurfing (basically riding a snowboard w/out bindings), Nathan was swept away to his death in a large avalanche on Berthoud Pass in Colorado, Feb 22nd 2025.
Nathan was an experienced out of bounds backcountry tourer, had all the avy gear (beacon, probe, shovel), avy training, and had set his “risk tolerance” to equal his current personal life status. Nathan, as many other experienced backcountry experts do, traveled by himself that fateful day and pushed the bounds of deep powder to make surfy turns to literally die for.
Nathan resided in metro-Denver with his wife. Nathan was an expert river surfer, snowskater, and skateboarder who age was no limit to hold him back. He was a very popular elementary school art teacher, husband of a Carrie Ginn who also is an excellent powsurfer, snowskater, river surfer and skater. Nathan had three grown adult children in his blended family and left his twin brother Phillip Ginn (also an avid powsurfer/river surfer/snowskater/skateboarder) and two older brothers (one a ski patroller at Taos Ski resort in NM).
The landlocked surf community and all of Nathan’s other communities are of course devastated in the loss of a leader, a good friend to all, and loss of an inclusive human being who wanted everyone else to partake in his stoke.
A few days prior to Nathan’s passing, Colorado also lost another landlocked surfer (aka snowboarder) from an avalanche. She was a well known local 41 year old expert snowboarder and experienced backcountry enthusiast, in the southern mountains of Colorado. No boubt that she and Nathan are up there in the afterlife talking story and surfing some of the best powder and waves ever.
Backcountry powder hunting is like ocean surfing whereas there is inherent risk of potential death. Even the best surfers, be it in the ocean waves or up in the deep and steep powder mountain runs, sometimes don’t make it back. We celebrate surfers (of all types) for their “going for it”, and we mourn for the ones who pass away, but we also need to understand their passions along with the ultimate risks they are willing to take.
(Top photo is of Nathan Ginn powsurfing bindingless in the backcountry of Berthoud Pass, CO)
If you are inclined to these type of donations, here is a go fund me to help offset the funeral and expenses of losing a family member. Thanks, LBK
https://www.gofundme.com/f/RideLikeNathan
—Last edited: Feb 27, 2025 09:27:23
