Updated Jan. 7
A Vineyard man known for his adventurous spirit and love of the outdoors succumbed to injuries sustained from an avalanche last month.
Nathaniel (“Natty”) Schneider, 31, died on Dec. 26, 2025, at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls after he was buried in an avalanche on Dec. 20 while skiing The Claw, a challenging backcountry area on a mountain area known as Teton Pass in Wyoming.
A local news site, the Jackson Hole News and Guide, reported that Schneider, who was living in Jackson Hole, Wyo., was airlifted to the Idaho hospital following a rescue operation led by his skiing partner and the Teton County Sheriff’s Office. The person skiing with Schneider reportedly spent hours finding him in the snow, and digging him out so that emergency personnel could reach him.
Schneider was the son of Paul Schneider, former editor of Martha’s Vineyard Magazine, and Nina Bramhall, a photographer and tennis coach. Schneider hails from the Bramhall family, who have a longstanding passion for the outdoors through several generations. He is survived by his parents, his community on the Island and in Jackson, and a loving, extended family that includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.
“Along with all of his friends and family, we will miss Natty forever,” his parents, Paul Schneider and Nina Bramhall said to The Times. “But wherever he is now, he would not want us to linger indoors mourning. Not when there may be fresh snow falling on the Tetons, clean swell building at Squibby, bass prowling the flats at Dogfish, albies blitzing at Tarps, redfish tailing in Louisiana, deer in the woods, or friends gathered at the end of today’s adventure, enjoying a beer and making plans for tomorrow’s.”
A 2013 graduate of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, Schneider was an avid fisherman and a skilled skier, and made a career out of his passions. Those who knew him often recall his adventurous, thrill-seeking spirit, and were put at ease by his even-keeled charm.
“Natty loved growing up on the Vineyard, in whose waters and woods he developed his passion for all things outdoors,” his parents said. “After college, however, he and an Island friend piled into a small car and set off to explore the western stretches of the mainland, where Natty found his heartland in the mountains and forests around Jackson Hole. There he collected an astonishing legion of friends from all over the country, including one young woman from Mississippi who made him as happy and in love as is humanly possible.”
Schneider was known as a multifaceted individual and kept busy; he was a sales manager at an insurance company that focused on coverage for outdoor sports called Cross Current Insurance, and a fishing guide with Kismet Outfitters on the Vineyard. He spent much of his time engaging in sports like skiing and fishing, along with white-water rafting and other outdoor adventures.
“His passion was contagious,” Abbie Schuster, owner of Kismet Outfitters, told the Times. “We were really lucky to have him.”
As a young man, Schneider was a star tennis player, leading the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School varsity team to back-to-back state championships in 2012 and 2013.
After graduating high school, Schneider studied at the University of Vermont and earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 2017. Then, he moved to Wyoming, where he built a community and life in the years following.
His passions brought him across the country and the world. Tarpon Caye Lodge, a fly-fishing lodge in Belize, made a social media post on Dec. 30 honoring Schneider.
“We lost a good friend and fellow fly-fisherman last week to a tragic [skiing] accident in an avalanche. He was part of [the Cross Current Insurance] family and a fly-fishing guide as well. Rest in peace, Natty,” the post reads. The lodge had a working relationship with Cross Current Insurance, where Schneider was a sales manager.
The younger Schneider’s love of fishing was evident in a 2018 Martha’s Vineyard Magazine article titled “For the Love of Tog,” in which he goes into detail about the intricacies of spearfishing tautog in Vineyard waters and then cooking them up into delectable dishes.
“Sure, you could catch a tautog from a boat with a rod and reel, and the fish would taste just as good, but what you are missing out on by staying dry and above water is the opportunity to become a fish yourself, and to get a glimpse of a world that knows nothing of you or your intentions,” Schneider wrote at the time.
He continued, “When spearfishing, you are out of your element as a human being; you are a visitor in another world that doesn’t belong to you, a world that is potentially dangerous and completely mesmerizing all at once. The sport’s allure is in the aspect of the unknown, the implicit possibilities that each dive brings.”
Editor’s note: Updated to include interviews with loved ones.
I can see no one has written in yet, and this young man deserves a whole lot more. Natty was friends with one my daughters, so I was fortunate to witness his growth on the Island. There can not be any comforting words great enough for his family right now, but I can try. I had the utmost respect for Natty. He must have been the most humble person I ever met. Even when I would engage him with his numerous successes, he never took that opportunity to flatter himself. It was as though he did not like the attention, quite different than most of us. He was quiet, sincere, and always respectful. My only regret was that I did not make more effort to get to know him better. When such a tragic loss like this occurs, it makes us wonder about religion. Why would God allow such a loss like this? Is the Universe really that random? Why isn’t karma working, where the good are rewarded? I may never know these answers, but I do know I always looked forward to my limited time with Natty.