Father, friends: Snowboarder killed in Big Cottonwood Canyon avalanche lived life to fullest

SALT LAKE CITY — "Shred in peace."

"Your new adventure will offer endless pillows to slay."

"Hope there's powder in heaven waiting for you."

Messages like these fill the Facebook page of Alecsander Luke Barton, painting a picture of an avid outdoorsman and thrill-seeker whose spirited life and good-natured personality earned him the respect and admiration of those who crossed his path.

"Whatever he was doing, he wanted to do it the best that he could," friend Ray Kimber said. "Because he had such gigantic capability, both intellectually and physically, it was usually done at a high level."

Barton's life was cut short Saturday when he was caught in an avalanche in the Mineral Falls area of Big Cottonwood Canyon. The University of Utah student was on a snowboard when he triggered a 700-foot-wide slide that carried him nearly a half-mile down the mountain and buried him under 3 feet of debris.

"I couldn't any more control his spirit than I could control the wind," said his father, Bernie Barton, in a telephone interview from his home in Concord, Mich. "The mountains just needed him more than we did, and they took him."

Two friends tackling the backcountry with Barton that morning were able to locate him using avalanche beacons. But the rescue attempt became a recovery effort and Barton's body was flown off the mountain.

Alecs' father says his son more than likely wanted to be the first down the mountain to test the safety of the snow.

"When I read on Facebook postings that he was reckless, he wasn't," the elder Barton said. "He wasn't. He knew the risk and the reward. He was jonesing for the winter to come and probably saved their lives."

Friends say Barton, who would have celebrated his 25th birthday on Monday, crammed a lifetime of adventure into his 24 years and 363 days.

Kimber said he was "absolutely shocked and stunned" when he learned of his friend's death.

"You don't think that anyone who lives such a good life could be taken like that," he said.

Barton loved just about any outdoor activity, Kimber said, whether it was skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, rock climbing or disc golf. Though many of the activities he enjoyed were dangerous, Barton was experienced, careful and always aware of potential risks, Kimber said.