CREEDE, Colo.—Searchers on the ground and in helicopters took advantage of a break in the weather on Tuesday to resume the hunt for two snowboarders missing since Saturday.
Michael George and Kyle Kerschen, both 27 and both from Albuquerque, N.M., were snowboarding near the Wolf Creek ski resort about 170 miles southwest of Denver when they were last seen.
Heavy snowfall and the threat of avalanches had hampered the search over the weekend, but with good weather on Tuesday, two helicopters and 40 to 50 ground searchers on skis and snowmobiles renewed the hunt.
“It’s a full search today,” said Sandy Kroll, a spokeswoman for the Mineral County Sheriff’s Department. “The sky is blue and the sun is out.”
Wolf Creek resort officials referred calls to the sheriff.
George’s mother, Laura George, said the men weren’t prepared for cold nights in the open.
“My son has been hiking and fishing, but he’s never been tested like this,” she said.
Laura George said the pair probably didn’t have much food or water but she was optimistic her son knew how to shelter himself from harsh weather
Two other snowboarders were rescued on Tuesday near the Santa Fe, N.M., ski area, four days after they got lost when they went outside the resort boundary, authorities said.
A New Mexico National Guard helicopter picked up Adam Putnam and his fiancee, Rachel Fehl, both 36.
New Mexico State Police Lt. Rick Anglada said the pair had minor frostbite on their feet.
