ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — Colorado authorities say two men died in an avalanche near Crested Butte this weekend.
The Mt. Crested Butte Police Department tells the Aspen Times that 27-year-old Owen Green, of Aspen, and 37-year-old Michael Goerne, of Carbondale, were reported missing Saturday around 8 p.m. A police statement says tracks were discovered around 10 p.m. leading into a fresh avalanche field, but no tracks were found exiting the slide area. Police say the conditions were too dangerous to conduct a recovery operation that night.
On Sunday, a team of six Crested Butte Search and Rescue members found the men's bodies.
Friends say Green and Goerne had been training for the Grand Traverse, a 40-mile (64-kilometer) backcountry ski race across the Elk Mountains. The two men were partners in the race from Crested Butte to Aspen next month.
