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Drew Kornet shovels out a 125-foot-long driveway in Crested Butte, Colo., trying to free his car before school resumes at Western State College in nearby Gunnison. The entire West has been inundated with snow in recent weeks, resulting in a high number of snow-related fatalities. From Colorado to Alaska, authorities said at least 15 people have died in avalanches so far this winter.

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Two missing Albuquerque men, the subjects of a massive search this week at Wolf Creek Ski Area, might not be on the mountain, authorities and family members said.

Roommates Michael George and Kyle Kerschen, both 27, were last seen Friday snowboarding at the ski area near Pagosa Springs, Colo., and presumed to be lost on the mountain.

But, George's father, Marc George, said the family is beginning to question whether that's the case.

"For two healthy young men to disappear without a trace doesn't make sense," he said. "It might be time to start thinking about foul play."

Mineral County Sheriff Fred Hosselkus said his agency began a missing-persons investigation Thursday, checking credit card and cell phone records and contacting law enforcement agencies around the country. Nothing had turned up so far, he said Thursday afternoon.

The search and rescue effort will continue today at the ski area, where the men were last seen about 2:30 p.m. last Friday, he said.

"We haven't seen any evidence that they are on the mountain," Hosselkus said. "That's our first assumption, but we can't rule out other ways they might have disappeared."

The two were reported missing Saturday after they didn't return phone calls from George's family. Kerschen's car was found that day in a parking lot near the ski area.

For the first time Thursday, there was talk of calling off the search, Marc George said.

The snowmobile portion of the search was temporarily suspended Thursday. The snow was so deep that snowmobiles had a hard time staying on top of it, Hosselkus said. Authorities decided to continue today after a campaign by friends and family of the men ended with Gov. Bill Richardson sending a request to Colorado's Gov. Bill Ritter that the search continue for at least 36 hours.

Richardson also offered to lend New Mexico state resources to the search.

Hosselkus said authorities will make day-to-day decisions on whether to continue.

A Colorado search and rescue mission coordinator came in Wednesday to evaluate the situation, Hosselkus said.

"The evaluation wasn't very good as far as their chances of survival," Hosselkus said. "The guys have been out there for almost a week. Things aren't looking very good for them."

Bad weather has made the search difficult. Wind grounded helicopters Monday and Wednesday, and several feet of snow last weekend probably obscured any clues about the men's whereabouts, Hosselkus said.

The National Weather Service predicts the skies will be clearer today and over the weekend, but there still is a 30 percent chance of snow today and a 10 percent chance Saturday and Sunday.

Colorado National Guard and Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department helicopters flew over the area Thursday looking for Kerschen and George, and were set to fly again today, Hosselkus said.

If the men did get lost on the mountain, they were probably not prepared for what they faced, George's mother said earlier this week.

Laura George said her son did not have extensive survival training, and the pair probably did not have much food, water or equipment with them.