2 Skiers Killed in Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche Information Center

By Inside Edition Staff

First Published: 11:55 AM PST, February 27, 2023

Six people have now been killed in avalanches in Colorado this winter, while seven people died last year, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

Two backcountry skiers died after being caught in an avalanche in Colorado on Saturday, officials said.

The skiers were found dead around 3:36 a.m. on Sunday after La Plata County Search and Rescue responded to a report of two missing skiers south of the Vallecito Reservoir in Colorado, according to KRQE.

Officials said the skiers left at 7 a.m. on Saturday and intended to return that afternoon, according to KRQE.

Search and Rescue received a missing persons call Saturday night. and located the skiers’ truck, authorities then used cellphone records to identify where the men may have been skiing, KRQE reported.

The unnamed victims were near the Vallecito Reservoir, according to CBS News.

Just before midnight Sunday, a helicopter found an avalanche with tracks leading into it but not out of it, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said. The two skiers were later found buried early Sunday in about four feet of avalanche debris, the center said in its preliminary report, CBS News reported.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the people involved in this tragic accident," Colorado Avalanche Information Center said in a statement Sunday.

Six people have now been killed in avalanches in Colorado this winter, while seven people died last year, according to the avalanche center.