A 2005 Myers Park High graduate known for her generosity towards others and adventurous spirit died this weekend in a ski accident in Colorado.

Sydney Elizabeth Owens, 25, was on a guided tour at the Silverton Mountain Ski Area on Saturday, when she fell and slid about 1,500 feet, authorities said. Emergency crews were unable to revive her, according to the San Juan County Sheriff's Office.

Owens, who had lived in Denver since 2009, had been planning a trip to the ski mountain for a couple months, said longtime friend Whitner Belk.

Belk also was on the ski trip but did not see the accident.

Belk said she and Owens had known each other since they were little girls. They were roommates at the University of Virginia, and Belk moved to Denver a year after her friend did.

"She had so much courage, she was just a magnet to everyone around her," Belk said Sunday. "She was just the kind of person who was going to change the world, who did change the world."

Owens was an honors student and athlete at Myers Park High. She also excelled at Virginia, earning a housing spot on the school's famous Lawn, an honor reserved for just 54 top students each year.

Owens also loved to travel, including taking part in Semester at Sea. After college, she spent two months in Tanzania as a tutor. While in Africa, she also climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.

In Denver, Owens had just taken a new job about a week ago doing communications for a kidney dialysis company. In her free time, Belk said, Owens loved to play the fiddle, volunteer and spend time outdoors.

"Sydney was smart, pretty and had a big heart that was open and generous to others," said longtime family friend Jon Buchan. "She had a serious, independent side and charted her own path. When she smiled, she lit up the room, and when she spoke, everyone listened. She was a fearless adventurer and seeker, always curious about the world around her."

Owens' family has long ties to Charlotte. Her grandfather, the Rev. Eugene Owens, was a longtime senior minister at Myers Park Baptist Church. Survivors include her parents, Ray Owens and Linda Barnett, and an older brother, Wilson.