Three men with Minnesota ties are among the missing and feared dead after an avalanche in Girdwood, Alaska, last Tuesday.

Jeremy Leif, 38, from Golden Valley, was on a ski trip with friends.

“He had a joy for life, had fun doing everything, he loved his kids and wife so much,” said Mike Herrlin. “He really did love adventures; he was always up for adventure.”

Herrlin was on a ski trip with Jeremy and other friends last week in Alaska when an avalanche struck. “It was pretty apparent right away that it wasn’t survivable,” Herrlin said.

Leif was with Dave Linder and Charlie Eppard, who were caught in the avalanche as they were backcountry skiing after being dropped off by a helicopter, according to authorities.

State troopers said the men’s emergency beacons were detected between 40 feet and nearly 100 feet deep at the bottom of a steep section of terrain. Back home in Minnesota, a large group of friends are now focused on helping Jeremy’s wife, Kieu, and their two young boys after their loss.

“Jeremy’s superpower was making friends,” said John Fritz, who grew up with him in Mankato.

Over the years, the two remained close and experienced life’s big moments together. “Hug your kids, make that tee time, take that vacation, have the adventure that Jeremy was having in his life; nothing is promised,” Fritz said.

Friends said, “his legacy of love, laughter, and positivity will never be forgotten.”

Search teams provided 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS back on Friday.

“Due to a high risk of additional avalanches and the challenging location where the bodies of the three men are believed to be buried – the team has reached the consensus that recovery efforts are unfortunately not possible until conditions improve that allow for the safety of rescue teams who will need to spend significant time in the area,” wrote Austin McDaniel with the Alaska Department of Public Safety.