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Mom: Snowboarders not ready for all this
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Two Albuquerque snowboarders who have been missing at Wolf Creek Ski Area in Colorado since Friday were not equipped to spend several nights on the snowy mountain, a relative says.
Michael George and Kyle Kerschen, both 27, were not planning on any backcountry treks, said Laura George, Michael's mother.
"They really weren't prepared for anything like this," she said. "My son has been hiking and fishing, but he's never been tested like this."
Although the two probably did not have much food or water with them, Laura George said she is optimistic her son knew how to shelter himself from the harsh weather, which caused whiteout conditions and an avalanche over the weekend.
Michael George, a nail technician at an Albuquerque salon, has about 10 years of snowboarding experience, his mother said.
"He's really good at it," she said.
Kerschen's father declined an interview for this story.
Laura George said her son and Kerschen were roommates.
She and the rest of her family were supposed to meet the pair Saturday for a day of snowboarding but could not reach her son to confirm plans.
"It's not like my son to not call me back," she said. "We talk all day long."
Her fears were confirmed Saturday when she learned that Kerschen's car had been in the ski area parking lot since Friday night.
The weather hampered search efforts and probably made it harder for the snowboarders to find their way to safety, said Mineral County Sheriff Fred Hosselkus, whose agency is one of several participating in the search.
"I don't ski, but you get up on that mountain and start getting a whiteout, it could be pretty easy to go down the wrong side," he said.
Helicopters, ski patrols and snowmobiles are all part of the search today, Hosselkus said.
The ski area's Web site says there are 1,600 acres of trails, but Hosselkus said it is easy to go out of bounds.
"We've looked at some of the more common places people go out of bounds," Hosselkus said. "But it's really hard to figure out where they're at. It's a large mountain with a lot of places to go."
The snowboarders' condition could become much worse if they are not found today, Hosselkus said.
The National Weather Service forecast predicts that skies will clear, and temperatures will drop tonight to a low of 5 degrees - 10 degrees below zero with wind chill.
"It's becoming a real concern that this could be their fourth night out there," Hosselkus said. "We don't know how well they were prepared, but this wouldn't be easy for anyone."
