The University of Utah wilderness EMS student who was headed for medical school, was working as a guide in Australia for about three months when he crashed on a series of jumps at Perisher Ski Resort.
In a statement, Perisher said ski patrol, New South Wales ambulance and police responded to the snowboarding incident at the Front Valley Terrain Park on the afternoon of Aug. 12.
Responders provided emergency care, but Youngquist died at the scene.
Youngquist’s family told KPCW he spent much of his time in Park City as a ski patroller at the Utah Olympic Park.
In a statement they said, “Drew was truly larger than life. He was the light wherever he went and could make friends with anyone. Drew knew how to make any setting a party and had the confidence to be himself. He was the type of person that you were excited to introduce to others because you knew he would be their friend.”
One of those friends was Maddie Klement, who met Youngquist more than two years ago in an organic chemistry lab at the U.
“The first day of lab, he showed up just right before class started,” she said. “I saw him walk down the hallway, and I hadn't had a partner yet, and he walked up and he said, ‘Do you want to be my lab partner?’ And I was like, ‘this is going to be a fun semester, if this is the kid I get to work with.’”
Klement, who majored in wilderness EMS at the U, said she convinced him to join the program.
“He fell in love with it, specifically the high angle rescue classes, which is essentially rope rescue,” she said.
Last year Klement and Youngquist worked at the UOP, where she said she got him off his snowboard and onto skis.
An honors student, Youngquist was about to graduate from the U. when he died. His family said that In addition to his course work, he was involved in volunteer programs, research projects, and various clubs. He also earned a high score on the medical college admission test, or the MCAT. He was about
In an announcement about Youngquist’s death to their graduating class Klement talked about some of his best qualities — teamwork, problem solving, and inventing the most outrageous stories while role-playing as a patient.
“He had a gift for making light of even the most stressful situations, keeping spirits high no matter how tired the class was,” she said. “He was a gifted musician, a constant source of laughter, and somebody whose warmth made every person feel like a friend. He was bright, lovable and goofy in the very best way, someone who left every place better than he found it.”
His family said “[Drew] could learn any instrument, play any sport, and become exceptional at it.” Kate Youngquist also shared a demo he was working on with KPCW.
In remembering him, Youngquist’s family asked everyone to “live like Drew did: try everything, make a new friend, put yourself out there, and be authentic.”
The Youngquist family plans to hold a celebration of life in the coming weeks at the University of Utah.
