Searchers in the mountains of southern Colorado looking for two missing snowboarders Tuesday raced an approaching winter storm that’s bound to hamper their efforts.
Despite clear skies and the aid of several helicopters, searchers found no signs Tuesday of the pair who were reported missing Saturday from the Wolf Creek Ski Area.
The two men, Michael George and Kyle Kerschen, both 27 and from Albuquerque, drove to Colorado on Friday for a weekend of snowboarding. A car belonging to one of the men was found in the ski-area parking lot, but there’s been no trace of them.
Worried family members were at the site Tuesday, and other family members were heading to Colorado on Tuesday night.
“It’s not looking good,” said Laura George, Michael’s mother. “They can’t seem to find any sign of them right now.”
Wolf Creek received more than 48 inches of snow from a weekend storm that continued through Monday. Overnight temperatures on the mountain have been well below freezing, and high winds have created drifts more than 5 feet tall.
On Tuesday, searchers held out hope that the pair may have dug a snow cave for shelter from the three-day storm.
“Hopefully they were buried by choice,” said Drew Peter sen, emergency manager for Archuleta County. “We’re hoping they’ll hear a helicopter and pop out.”
More than 40 people and four helicopters — three from New Mexico and one from Colorado — have searched for any signs of the men. One of the helicopters used Tuesday is equipped with infrared sensors to detect body heat.
“We found lots of trails in the snow, but most of them lead us to elk or rabbits,” Petersen said.
Searchers are concerned about another storm front barreling down on the San Juan Mountains. Weather forecasts call for snow beginning Tuesday night and continuing through the day today.
“We’ll be right back to zero visibility with blowing snow,” Petersen said. “If they’re up there, they need to be found.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
