PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — In a strange coincidence, Caitlin Comstock wrote an ode to her husband the night before he was killed in an avalanche Friday morning at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort in Placer County.
"I would do it all over again because when you know, you know and I knew in MINUTES this one was for me. I am so grateful to be your wifey, Cole Comstock," Caitlin wrote in a Facebook post Thursday night. "We have just melted the tip of the iceberg on what life has in store for us. I cannot wait for whats next."
About 12 hours later, she said goodbye to her love for the last time. In a phone call with ABC10's Van Tieu, Caitlin recalled the last interaction she had Cole Comstock, 34, her husband of three years.
"We had just gotten off the chair probably an hour prior, and the area he was skiing, he pointed over there and said, 'I can't wait to go skiing over there' as people were coming down," Caitlin said, fighting back tears. "And we got to the top and I saw some friends on the opposite side, and I said 'Oh, I’m going to go ski this backside,' and we kind of split our different directions.
"A funny thing all of our friends do is hit the tip of our poles — touch tips, is what we call it. We tapped tips and said ‘I love you’ and ‘I love you, too’ and we just went our separate ways," Caitlin said as her voice began to crack from crying.
Caitlin said that Cole was an avid skier with 11 years of experience and avalanche training. The night before, she said their group of friends had researched what to do in a case of an avalanche, but her husband had already knew what to do.
"He did everything right," she said. "He was a very savvy skier and a strong skier, and he loved skiing. And it was just — a complete fluke. A freak accident."
That morning, Caitlin said their group saw Alpine Meadows Ski Resort crews launch avalanche control in the morning, and that Cole had remained in bounds.
Another man who was skiing down the same advanced slope was injured and was taking to the hospital to have emergency surgery.
After five years of having Cole in her life, Caitlin said she wants him to be remembered for his heart of gold. She said he would help anyone in need without every complaining or asking for anything in return.
Despite the heartbreak, Caitlin said she knows she can still find some peace.
"I want him here next to me forever, but I know that he was doing the thing that he loved," Caitlin said. "And I know that he didn’t suffer from what they told me."
Follow the conversation on Facebook with Van Tieu.
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