Two backcountry skiers missing since Sunday survived a night outdoors in a snowy wilderness near Aspen and made their way to civilization today.
Zeke Tiernan, 32, and Sean Thomas, became disoriented in a blinding snowstorm that started about 3 p.m. Sunday, said Pitkin County Undersheriff Joe DiSalvo.
The two Aspen men built a fire and camped for the night. They made their way to Highway 82 at Difficult Campground, southeast of Aspen, this afternoon.
“They showed up at the mountain rescue cabin and said “Here we are, we’re fine, and we are going home,” DiSalvo said.
The two were well-equipped, well-acquainted with the area and in good physical condition, said Joe Bauer, patrol director for the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Department.
The pair left Ashcroft Sunday morning to train for the Grand Traverse, a race from Crested Butte to Aspen.
They were last seen about 3 p.m. Sunday at a cross-country ski hut by others who were on the trail. They were reported missing by family members about 5:30 p.m.Their route on Sunday was to take them from Ashcroft to Aspen Mountain and back into town, according to the Aspen Daily News.
But the snow started flying around 3 p.m. and the pair told the people they met that they had changed their plans.
“They weren’t going to continue on down and come back into town. They were going to backtrack the way they came in, which would mean they would go by the Markley hut,” Bauer said.
Members of Mountain Rescue Aspen began searching on Sunday, but whiteout conditions forced them to stop.
Rescuers set out on four snowmobiles this morning.
The 11th annual Elk Mountains Grand Traverse is scheduled for March 28-29.
The race is a grueling test of endurance, sometimes held in treacherous weather. In 2007, a ground blizzard driving 50 mph winds led to numerous cases of frostbite, hypothermia and dehydration, according to the Grand Traverse website.
The race “tested more than just your technical ability and prowess … 121 teams started out, 30 teams had to drop out and the storm added one to two hours to the average race time,” according to the website.
Tom McGhee: (303)954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
