2 Snowmobile Riders Buried and Killed in Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche Information Center 2 snowmobile riders killed in Colorado avalanche
Two men snowmobiling on the east face of Mount Epworth — about 6 miles east of Winter Park, Colorado — were killed in an avalanche on Saturday.
According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), the avalanche buried both victims, though one was located quickly with a transceiver by another group in the area.
CPR was administered but unsuccessful and the man, 58, was declared dead at the scene, according to the Grand County Sheriff's office.
The second victim wasn't wearing a transceiver and wasn't located until the following day after search and rescue had to suspend efforts Saturday due to "weather and safety concerns," according to the sheriff's office. The second man, 52, was found just before 11 a.m. on Sunday, authorities said.
The identities of the men and their specific causes of death will be released at a later time.
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"Unfortunately, this is the second fatal avalanche that we have experienced this season in Grand County," Sheriff Brett Schroetlin shared in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims."
"We encourage those recreating in our backcountry to regularly monitor the conditions and follow the advice of our avalanche professionals at Colorado Avalanche Information Center," Schroetlin said in a follow-up statement.
There have been five total fatalities due to avalanches during the 2022-2023 season in the U.S., including Saturday's accident, according to the CAIC.
Last month, an unidentified man who was backcountry skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado, was killed in an avalanche — but his father managed to survive the ordeal, according to a local volunteer rescue group that responded to the scene.
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The nonprofit Summit County Rescue Group described the latter event in a statement, writing that their rescue team was called out to help following a backcountry avalanche with "confirmed burials" around 2:05 p.m. on Dec. 31.
The father-and-adult-son skiers had been caught in an avalanche about an hour before, "with the father partially buried and the son fully buried," the statement said.
Though the elder man was able to dig himself out of the snow, he had to ski out of the vicinity to get cell reception and called for help around 1:40 p.m.
A variety of teams including the Breckenridge Ski Patrol and the Sheriff's Office also responded for the search-and-rescue efforts, according to the rescue-group statement, but the younger man was found deceased by a team of search dogs shortly after 3 p.m.
