2 Skiers Missing

[jimmnn]

MINERAL COUNTY – The sheriff's office says it could be Tuesday before rescuers can do a full search for two skiers missing since Friday afternoon at Wolf Creek Ski Area.

The missing men are in their mid-20s and are believed to be from New Mexico. The Mineral County Sheriff's Office is searching for the men, along with the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office, Rio Grande Sheriff's Office and the Wolf Creek Ski Area Ski Patrol.

According to the Mineral County Sheriff's Office, heavy snow and poor visibility has made it difficult to search for the men.

 

[RodStrong]

Weather hinders search for snowboarders
Posted: Monday, Jan 7th, 2008
BY: Ruth Heide

Men missing since Saturday

SOUTH FORK — Inclement weather has hampered the search for two Albuquerque snowboarders reported missing from the Wolf Creek Ski Area on Saturday, Jan. 5.

Michael George and Kyle Kershen, both 27 years old of Albuquerque, N.M., did not return to their vehicle in the ski area parking lot on January 5, and the two were still missing as of Monday evening.

Mineral County Sheriff Fred Hosselkus said on Monday night the weather had not cooperated with those searching for the missing men, but he hoped to have a break on Tuesday. “It’s supposed to clear off a little bit tonight giving us a little bit of a break tomorrow,” Hosselkus said.

Unfortunately, bad weather was expected to come back in on Tuesday night, so the sheriff said searchers would do everything they could on Tuesday to find the missing men.

The sheriff said the search on Tuesday would include two helicopters, numerous ground search teams, snow machines and ski patrols on skis. He said the search was concentrated on the borders around the ski area.

“We are having a little difficulty because of where we are with the weather the way it is,” said Mineral County Sheriff Deputy Scott Warrington. “We have had guys on snowmobiles on our side. We are doing the best we can.”

“We do not know at this time whether they were in bounds or out of bounds,” Warrington added. “The ski area patrol in the last two days has been searching within the ski area. At this time we have not located these two gentlemen ... The ski area has been doing some extensive searching.”

Warrington said many people have been out looking for the two snowboarders, but they have been hampered in their search because avalanches have closed down Wolf Creek Pass and the ski area, and it was still snowing on Monday evening. “We have been hampered in the fact there’s been natural avalanches going on up there and we don’t want to put any of these guys in any danger,” he said.

“The ski area has been closed due to avalanches,” Warrington added. “We haven’t been able to go up there.”

Warrington said in spite of the bad weather some searchers had gone out on snowmobiles, but they had not yet found any signs of the missing men. “We will be broadening the search.”

On Monday one helicopter was able to participate in the search for about one and a half hours. “They went up in a little window they had and they did not see anything at that time,” Warrington said.

Sheriff Hosselkus said the helicopter searchers were looking for tracks or any other signs of the snowboarders. He said the helicopter flew just above tree height “so they were able to see pretty well,” but they did not find anything.

Two helicopters were expected to participate in the search on Tuesday when the weather cleared up. Teams of snowmobile searchers were also expected to participate in the search.

“We’ve got a lot of people putting their foot forward to do what they can,” Warrington said. “Because of the snow we are just not able to do the kind of searching we would like. We are doing the limited amount we can do.”

Warrington said multiple agencies are participating in the search including Mineral, Archuleta and Rio Grande Counties, the Forest Service, the Wolf Creek Ski Area and the Upper San Juan Search & Rescue.

 

[RodStrong]

Searchers see no trace of boarders

January 8, 2008
By Shane Benjamin | Herald Staff Writer

Rescue workers continued to search Monday for two Albuquerque men who went missing Sunday afternoon near Wolf Creek Ski Area.

The two men, Michael George and Kyle Kerschen, both 27, parked at the ski area to go snowboarding, either at the ski area or in the backcountry, said Mineral County Sheriff Fred Hosselkus.

Wolf Creek Ski Patrol searched the ski mountain and are fairly confident that the two men are not within ski area boundaries, Hosselkus said. Ski Patrol also searched ski area boundaries for any tracks leaving the resort, but they were unable to find any, he said. However, he said that finding any such tracks would be difficult considering the high winds and heavy snow that the ski resort has received.

A helicopter was used Monday morning to search for the men, and if skies are clear today, two helicopters will be used, Hosselkus said.

"We're going to be checking every tree," he said.

If the men are trying to move, they are doing so in chest-deep snow, Hosselkus said.




Search continues today for missing skiers

Search and rescue teams are taking advantage of clear skies and stable weather to ramp up efforts to locate two skiers who were reported missing from Wolf Creek Ski Area Saturday.

According to Mineral County Sheriff Fred Hosselkus, the skiers, 27-year-old Michael George, and 27-year-old Kyle Kerschen, both of Albuquerque, were reported missing Saturday after they failed to show for a meeting with family members Friday, and their car was found in the ski area parking lot Saturday morning.


Hosselkus said the men are believed to have ventured outside the ski area’s boundaries.


According to staff at the Mineral County Sheriff’s Department, search teams ventured out again this morning before first light, and two air searches were launched in conjunction with ground teams searching on snowmobiles, snowboards, or “whatever it takes” to cover the territory.


Staff at the sheriff’s department said teams will cover areas previously searched such as the East Fork and Alberta Lakes areas, in addition to covering new terrain.
As of Tuesday at 8:45 a.m., Mineral County Sheriff’s Department staff reported no leads, and unstable snow and avalanche conditions remain of paramount concern.


Staff from Mineral, Rio Grande, and Archuleta counties, the Forest Service, Upper San Juan Search and Rescue, Wolf Creek Ski area and volunteers from New Mexico are participating in the search.

 

[jimmnn]

Searchers braved a winter storm on Wednesday to hunt for two snowboarders who disappeared in the southwest Colorado mountains last weekend, but the weather kept two helicopters grounded.

"The weather is horrible," Mineral County sheriff's spokeswoman Sandy Kroll said. "You can't see, it's snowing, the wind is blowing."

Bad weather has repeatedly hampered the search for Michael George and Kyle Kerschen, both from Albuquerque, who were last seen on Saturday near the Wolf Creek ski resort about 170 miles southwest of Denver.

More than 4 feet of snow fell in the area during a weekend storm.

Searchers were out on skis, snowshoes and snowmobiles on Wednesday, but Kroll said she did not now how many.

Although the forecast called for lighter snow as the day went on, Kroll said it was still heavy in higher elevations by afternoon.

Even on Tuesday, when skies cleared and the helicopters were able to fly, searchers found no trace of the missing men.

"It's not looking good," said Laura George, Michael George's mother on Tuesday. "They can't seem to find any sign of them right now."

A searcher said if the two were trying to move in the storm, they'd have to negotiate waist-deep snow.

She said the men, both 27, were unprepared for cold nights in the open and probably didn't have much food or water. She is hoping they have taken shelter in a snow cave to wait out the storm.

Temperatures hovered around 10 degrees in the search area early Wednesday and were not expected to get much higher than the low 20s, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Chamberlain said.

 

[RodStrong]

Search Day 5: Snowboarders' families remain hopeful

Posted: Jan 9, 2008 06:16 PM MST

Michael George (left) and Kyle Kerschen missing since Friday.

Fresh snow is hip deep at the ski village.

Lloyd Aragon, George's father.

Related Links

1/9/08 5:30 pm: Hopes alive for missing snowboarders

WOLF CREEK SKI AREA, Colo. - As two Albuquerque snowboarders remain missing for a sixth night in Colorado's high country, their families say they are not giving up hope.

The men-roommates Michael George and Kyle Kerschen--disappeared into the Wolf Creek area in southern Colorado on Friday and have not been heard from since.

The search resumed this morning at first light and continued through a day of heavy snowfall and limited visibility before ending at darkness. Search parties returned with no good news to report.

"You're looking for something, and when you can't see, you can't look," Mineral County Sheriff Fred Hosselkes said. "Every day that they're out it gets a little more grim."

Weather conditions grounded search helicopters and limited the ground search to only a handful of people. They were ski patrol experts searching in low-lying areas.

It's thought the snowboarders followed gravity because they can't walk up the mountain with such deep snow. The base of the ski area is above 10,000 feet elevation.

"The limited visibility the guys are not going to be able to see across ravines," Juan Cullum of the Wolf Creek Ski Patrol said. "They're going to be searching as hard as they can for real obvious signs.

George and Kerschen, both 27 came snowboarding on Friday failed to join family for dinner as planned that evening.

Family members are at the ski area and continue to be hopeful the men are strong enough to survive the ordeal

"This is probably the biggest challenge of their lives," Lloyd Aragon, George's father, told KRQE News 13. "We've all pretty much agreed that they have a strong will and desire to live.

"We're all optimistic and hopeful and all agree that they have what it takes to get through this."

Rescuers, anticipating a break in the weather Thursday, have booked a helicopter to resume the aerial search.

Reporter: Michael Herzenberg | Web Producer: Bill Diven

 

[RodStrong]

Search ongoing for missing snowboarders
Posted: Thursday, Jan 10th, 2008
BY: Eric Mullens

Ski Patrol will take lead in ground search

By ERIC MULLENS

ALAMOSA — Two helicopters and ground crews of Colorado Ski Patrol personnel continued the search for two New Mexico men who disappeared while snowboarding at Wolf Creek Ski Area last Saturday.

Mineral County Sheriff Fred Hosselkus said last night the search is being scaled back somewhat as snowmobilers are being taken out of the search and rescue equation and being replaced by ski patrol skiers. Hosselkus explained the areas that can be scanned from a snowmobile have been thoroughly searched and slower, more delicate searching will continue on the ground by ski patrollers.

Six to eight members of the ski patrol are expected to be back at the search today Hosselkus said. “They will be looking in some drainage areas that have not been checked on the ground today,” he said.

Thursday both a helicopter from a private aviation firm called New Air and a Colorado Air National Guard Blackhawk flew sorties over the ski area in an attempt to find any sign of Michael George and Kyle Kerschen, both 27 and both of Albuquerque, N.M. Hosselkus said information garnered through interviews around the ski area indicate the last time the men may have been seen was Saturday afternoon around 2:30 p.m. near the main lodge at the ski resort. The men’s vehicle was found in the resort’s parking lot Saturday evening.

A number of factors, not the least heavy snowfall in the search area last weekend have hampered search and rescue operations. Hosselkus said aerial missions have only been able to be used on Tuesday and Thursday this week. The ski area received approximately 50-inches of snow on Saturday and Sunday and the fact the men were missing was not reported to the sheriff’s office until Saturday night.

Although those factors have combined to make search and rescue efforts more difficult, Hosselkus Thursday night insisted the operation was still one of search and rescue. He said he wasn’t prepared yet to call the search for the missing snowboarders a recovery mission.

Yesterday, in an e-mail to media outlets, the men’s families acknowledged the weather has been bad and added “we implore county and state agencies from both states to please continue the effort of finding our loved ones.”

Wednesday the weather near the Wolf Creek Pass summit, where the ski resort is located, was dismal with snow and blowing snow which kept ground searches to a minimum and grounded aircraft. Hosselkus met that day with Tim Cochran and others from the Colorado Search and Rescue Board and worked on strategies for the continued search. It was during these meetings the decision to abandon searching with snowmobiles was made. Hosselkus said deep snow in the search area was a main factor in that decision. “We had one searcher on a snowmobile think he had found something earlier this week, but when he investigated further he found he had run across another snowmobile that had broken down before the weekend storm and then been buried by it,” he said.

Hosselkus has met repeatedly with the families of the missing men and despite their e-mail yesterday, hopes are beginning to dim for a successful rescue.

“We’re into the sixth day and (for) somebody who’s not prepared for the elements, it’s not a good situation,” Hosselkus said. George’s mother, Laura George, said earlier this week the men were unprepared for cold nights in the open.

“All the factors involved, the snow that came in those days, the wind, nothing was working for them,” Hosselkus said of the missing men.

 

[RodStrong]

Operation scaled back after week-long search
Posted: Friday, Jan 11th, 2008
BY: Eric Mullens

Helicopters turned back due to bad weather at Wolf Creek Friday

By ERIC MULLENS

ALAMOSA — Search and rescue efforts at the Wolf Creek Ski Area was scaled back after six days of ground and aerial searches for two missing New Mexico snowboarders believed lost in an avalanche one week ago today.

Mineral County Sheriff Fred Hosselkus said late Friday night that search efforts will now be done by ski area ski patrol personnel. Bad weather Friday caused two helicopters called in to aid the search to be grounded. Hosselkus said a New Mexico State Police chopper had to turn back in bad weather over Wolf Creek Pass and will spend the night on the ground at Pagosa Springs in hopes they weather will clear today to allow for additional air searches. A Colorado Air National Guard Blackhawk helicopter encountered bad weather over La Veta Pass late Friday morning and was recalled to its base. That weather system hampered search and rescue efforts in the Blanca and Little Bear Peaks area Friday as well as Alamosa County Sheriff’s deputies and county volunteer search and rescue personnel looked for a 20-year old Loveland woman believed to have been caught in an avalanche Thursday morning.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson authorized the state police helicopter’s use in the Wolf Creek incident late Thursday.

Hosselkus said he met with the families of Michael George and Kyle Kerschen, both 27 and both of Albuquerque, N.M. Friday, and explained what will happen with the search in the future. Hosselkus said the continued ground search will be done by ski patrollers from Wolf Creek Ski Area. Hosselkus said ski resort owner Davey Pitcher had been a great deal of help during the week-long search. Some volunteers will also continue the search and will aid in filling patrol duties on the mountain as ski patrol members search basins and drainage only accessible only by skis. “The ski patrol will be working a grid search with probes,” said Hosselkus.

“We’re not quitting, you never quit looking,” Hosselkus said, “but it has been a week and the men were not prepared for even an overnight stay in the mountains.”

Hosselkus said the missing persons investigation will continue although he said there are no indications of foul play in the disappearance of the two men.

The missing persons investigation will include things such as flagging or watching for any credit card, telephone or banking activity on any of the men’s accounts. Flyers depicting the two were also being posted in Valley communities.

Hosselkus urged anyone with any information about the pair to contact the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office. He said the last time the two men were seen was at about 2:30 Friday afternoon, Jan. 4.