Two ill-equipped cross-country skiers were found Saturday afternoon after spending the night in below-zero temperatures at a spot in Lake County above 10,000 feet in elevation, authorities say.
The two men, in their mid-20s, called the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on their cellphones about 5 p.m. on Christmas and said they had gotten lost near Turquoise Lake west of Leadville, said Deputy Steve James of the sheriff’s office.
The pair didn’t have spotter beacons, proper clothing or food. They only had what they were wearing and a sleeping bag each, James said.
Wind-chill temperatures dropped to between 10 to 20 degrees below zero Friday night, said Jim Kalina, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Boulder.
More than 50 people from five agencies searched on snowmobiles, in a National Guard helicopter and on skis and snowshoes, James said.
