Beloved Snowboard Instructor From Chatham Killed While Skiing

CHATHAM, NJ — A beloved Chatham native and 2012 high school graduate was killed in a skiing accident in Colorado, where he was working at a nearby ski resort, earlier this week.

24-year-old Sam Failla died in Vail, Colorado on Tuesday, a GoFundMe page set up on his family's behalf said. He was working in his second season as a snowboarding instructor at Vail Resort.

Failla was known for his athleticism: he was a captain of the Chatham Cougar football team in high school, and was passionate about snowboarding. He was a graduate of the University of Southern Carolina, where he was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.

"This past summer, he traveled to several destinations such as Singapore, Thailand, and Greece where he had the time if his life. In November, Sam returned to Vail for his second season as a snowboard instructor at Vail Resort in Colorado. He was a favorite with the kids in the ski school and was adored by his coworkers and liked by all who knew him," Sally Walker Kelly wrote in the GoFundMe.

A GoFundMe has been established to help his family pay for funeral costs and to create "a foundation for under privileged kids to play the sports they love," Walker Kelly said. Over $12,000 has been raised towards a $50,000 as of press time.

Friends remembered Failla on social media as a happy, supportive friend, gone too soon.

"So unbelievably heartbreaking. Sam was a fantastic kid who was loved by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him," a fellow Chatham album wrote.

Another echoed that sentiment, writing, "One of the happiest and most genuine people I had the pleasure of knowing and living with for three years. Love you so much, Sammy. Rest easy, bud."

According to news reports, Failla was separated from a friend while skiing Monday afternoon in the Colorado backcountry. His friend was found by a mountain rescue team and assumed Failla has returned home safely, only to discover that Failla was still missing Tuesday morning. Rescuers found Failla's body later that day, The Denver Post reported. More information on his death was not immediately available.

Failla is survived by his parents, John and Whitney Failla, and sisters, Alexandria and Ellie Failla, all of Chatham.

Image via GoFundMe