( CNN ) -- The grandson of one of the Vail ski mecca 's co-founders died Tuesday in an avalanche that also trapped -- temporarily -- three others , county authorities said . Anthony `` Tony '' Seibert , 24 , died in backcounty outside the ski boundaries of Vail Mountain -- the Colorado resort area that his grandfather , Peter Seibert Sr. , co-founded -- according to officials in Eagle County . `` He was always an uplifting person and cheerful , '' said Scott Klumb , Seibert 's friend of about 7 years who posted a tribute video online hours after his death . `` ... He was always goofing around or getting other people excited and just making them happy . '' The three others also trapped in the snow were rescued without major injuries . In fact , none of them had to be transported to a hospital , instead leaving the area on their own , Vail Valley Medical Center spokeswoman Lindsay Hogan said . The incident occurred in the East Vail Chutes roughly 90 miles west of Denver , with authorities first being alerted around 11:30 a.m. , according to the Eagle County Sheriff 's Office . According to the Vail resort 's master development plan , `` The East Vail Chutes is an extremely steep , avalanche-prone bowl that drains down to Interstate 70 or to East Vail . '' The avalanche occurred near the tree line `` in backcountry wilderness where they do not have avalanche control , '' explained Ethan Greene of the state-run Colorado Avalanche Information Center . `` This ( avalanche ) was most likely triggered by the people who got caught in it , '' Greene said . Two of those caught in the avalanche were on skis , the other two were on snowboards , according to Jessie Mosher of the Eagle County Sheriff 's Office . She did not know what Seibert was doing . On a scale of 1 ( least dangerous ) to 5 , the prospective avalanche rating around Vail was a 3 , the rate around which most incidents like this happen , explained Greene , especially if people get fooled by otherwise nice conditions . `` Today was apparently a beautiful day up in Vail , '' Greene added , `` and therefore would be an appealing day to be out in the backcountry . '' Seibert is the second person to die in an avalanche this season in Colorado . The other incident happened on December 31 on Parkview Mountain , west of Willow Creek Pass . The Colorado Avalanche Information Center noted there have been at least five such fatalities nationwide , including a snowmobiler killed on New Year 's Day in Big Sky , Montana . Tony Seibert 's grandfather was a legend in skiing , business and state circles , as evidenced by his inductions into the U.S . Ski and Snowboard and Colorado Business halls of fame , among many other honors . A soldier injured multiple times during World War II while with the U.S. Army 's 10th Mountain Division , the Sharon , Massachusetts , native moved to Colorado after the war , working at Aspen and making the 1950 U.S. ski team . After studies in resort management in France and Switzerland , he and fellow ski buff Earl Eaton scaled the top of the then-unnamed mountain that would become Vail in 1957 and opened it up as a ski area five years later . Peter Seibert Sr. served as the first president of Vail Associates and maintained a leading role for several decades , during which time Vail became one of America 's biggest and most renowned ski resorts . He died in July 2002 at the age of 77 . The Seiberts are an institution in Vail . Seibert was proud of this fact and his grandfather 's legacy , recently appearing in the documentary `` Climb to Glory '' about the 10th Mountain Division 's famed ski troopers . `` This is a shocking and terrible tragedy , '' Vail COO Chris Jarnot said , lamenting the end to Seibert 's `` wonderful albeit tragically too short life . '' `` This is an incomprehensible loss , and we will support the Seibert family and our community through this difficult time . '' Seibert himself was heading into his final semester at the University of Colorado at Boulder at the time of his death , according to Klumb . He had his deep love for the Centennial State literally imprinted on him , in the form of a lone tattoo of the Colorado state flag cast in front of the Rocky Mountains . A superb freestyle skier , Seibert eventually gravitated toward the backcountry -- whether it was skiing , snowshoeing or hiking -- his friend said . So what might Seibert want people to learn from his own tragic death ? Klumb surmised that it 's that the backcountry should both be loved and be respected . `` What Tony would want ... is for others to be careful in the backcountry , '' he said . `` As exciting as it may look , you have to take the proper precautions . '' Massive freeze breaks records , strands Americans . Avalanche buries , kills snowmobile driver . Michael Schumacher in critical condition after skiing accident . CNN 's Ana Cabrera and Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report .
NEW : Friend : Anthony `` Tony '' Seibert was `` an uplifting person '' who loved the backcountry . NEW : Vail 's COO laments `` an incomprehensible loss '' to the community , the Seiberts . Seibert dies in East Vail Chutes ; 3 people were rescued with minor injuries . The lone victim is a grandson of Peter Seibert Sr. , a co-founder of the Vail ski resort .