Avalanche in Colorado kills two

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – A New Year’s Day avalanche killed two men who were snowmobiling near Rocky Mountain National Park, and a snowshoer was missing and presumed dead after another avalanche in Utah, officials said.

Forecasters warned that heavy snowfall and high wind during the weekend made conditions hazardous in mountainous areas of both states.

A blizzard had been moving through the Colorado mountains near Trap Lake where the two snowmobilers were caught in the avalanche Sunday morning, said Larimer County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Eloise Campanella. Others in a group of snowmobilers alerted state wildlife officers.

The two men were confirmed dead a couple of hours after the slide, Campanella said.

Their identities were not released, but officials said the group was visiting from Iowa.

In Utah, the dangerous conditions on the slopes forced rescue teams to hold off resuming their search for a snowshoer missing after an avalanche in Provo Canyon.

Marshall Higgins, 33, of Salt Lake City was caught in a slide Saturday afternoon near Emerald Lake and was presumed dead, Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon said. A friend with Higgins was able to ride out the slide and call for help.

Rescue teams searched for nearly five hours Saturday before conditions became too dangerous.

A 16-year-old snowboarder who also was reported missing Saturday in a nearby Utah canyon was spotted by a helicopter pilot Sunday morning and rescued.

“He was very smart and built a snow cave,” said Laura Schaffer, a spokeswoman for Snowbird ski resort.

She said the teenager, visiting from California, had been snowboarding at the resort but had gone outside its boundaries.

The Utah Avalanche Center reported Sunday that conditions were still dangerous in the region, with dozens of slides recorded.

“The storm snow, water totals and strong winds have all conspired to make it downright dangerous out there,” forecaster Craig Gordon wrote.