CONEJOS COUNTY, Colo. — A Colorado snowmobiler was buried and killed after an avalanche near La Manga Pass in Conejos County on Saturday.
The avalanche released on a southeast slope near the Red Lakes trailhead at about 10,600 feet, according to a report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).
The Conejos County Sheriff's Office said it received a SOS notification around 2:30 p.m. Saturday about an avalanche with people buried.
The sheriff's office, U.S. Forest Service and Conejos County Search and Rescue responded and searched the area on Saturday. A medical helicopter was stationed nearby. Friends and other volunteers also arrived to help on snowmobiles.
A group of five people had been snowmobiling in the backcountry when the avalanche happened, the sheriff's office learned. One man, identified as 45-year-old Kevin Gray of Antonito, had been buried in the snow. Antonito is about 30 minutes east of La Manga Pass along CO 17.
Rescuers tried to locate him into the evening hours Saturday but were unable to find him, the sheriff's office said.
On Sunday morning, the rescuers returned with more people, avalanche dog teams from the Wolf Creek Ski Area, forecasters with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, and local community members.
The search continued into the afternoon, when blizzard conditions forced the group to stop.
Those efforts continued Monday. Around 2:30 p.m., the CAIC said Gray's body was found around midday.
Klayton Gosar said Gray is a friend of his and was out at the time with several of Gosar's friends. They met through the snowmobiling community.
"We all try to take care of each other in the backcountry," he said.
Gosar said Gray is a father to a daughter and son.
About 80 people showed up on Sunday, he said.
Gosar said Gray wasn't wearing an avalanche beacon so it has been difficult to find him under the snow.
"We've had a lot of high winds. So we have a lot of wind-loaded slabs, cornices," he explained. "That's where this (avalanche) broke. So on the top of the mountain, the wind loads up, on the top. He was riding on the side of the hill when the crown broke above him. It's probably about a 15-foot, 20-foot crown where it did break."
Gosar said Gray tried to ride down but the last thing his friends saw was him getting "bucked off his sled" and then "he disappeared."
"It's rough. It's rough for everybody," Gosar said. "It's super sad for everybody, you know. I wish we would have got luckier today and, you know, been able to bring him home. So we'll try again tomorrow."
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center called the past weekend a "busy and deeply sad time for avalanche involvements in the Southern Mountains."
On Saturday, two backcountry skiers were killed in an avalanche in La Plata County, according to La Plata County Search & Rescue. Both were buried about four feet deep in avalanche debris.
The following day, a snowmobile-triggered avalanche buried a rider, but a companion was able to recover the buried person.
"Snow is falling, and the danger is already rising towards 'considerable' in the Park Range," the CAIC wrote in a Facebook post. "By Tuesday, the rising danger will be more widespread and will encompass most mountains by Wednesday and Thursday. Please read the forecast, including the summary where we describe the most dangerous slopes and travel advice. Remember, 'moderate' avalanche danger does not mean safe."
Click here to learn more about current avalanche forecasts.
