Two men who survived blizzard conditions in the Colorado mountains after becoming lost on a snowmobile outing are in “good condition” today at a Western Slope hospital.
Survivors Craig Morris of Florida and Murry Melloni of Littleton are recovering at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs.
A third man in the high-country outing, John McKibben of Kremmling, died before rescuers arrived.
Investigators interviewed the surviving pair today in hopes of gaining details to aid in the recovery of McKibben’s body, said Paulette Horr, a spokeswoman with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
McKibben’s body remains under the skirt of a tree, where he and the others took shelter from heavy snow and raging winds.
Search efforts to recover the body were hampered today by heavy snow and winds. Searchers also lack the exact location of his remains.
A National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crew spotted a campfire Tuesday in a remote area about 2 miles from Elliot Ridge in Eagle County. The helicopter set down as close as it could, and crew members snowshoed in to the campfire site and rescued the two men, who were both suffering from exposure after spending more than 48 hours in the snow.
McKibben had died Monday night.
McKibben was a long-time resident of Kremmling who did concrete work in the area, friends said. He was described as an experienced and avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt, fish and snowmobile.
“We went all over the high country together,” said Dave Cunningham, McKibben’s friend and a Kremmling business owner. “He was very experienced on snow machines.”
Cunningham said winter conditions in the area have been extreme this year and that the snow is much deeper than in years past.
“It was really bad weather up there and really steep terrain,” Cunningham said of the area where the men got lost.
McKibben, who is survived by three sons, was popular in the small mountain town, Cunningham said.
“Everybody is pretty shook up,” Cunninghamm said. “John would do anything for just about anybody. He was just a happy-go-lucky guy.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
