Searchers in Colorado on Wednesday recovered three skiers who had been buried in an avalanche two days earlier.
Seth Bossung, Andy Jessen and Adam Palmer were killed in Monday’s avalanche near Silverton, the town and county of Eagle, in a statement.
The three were recovered and must be removed by helicopter and taken to a medical examiner’s office for positive identification, San Juan County emergency officials said.
The city and county Eagle said they have permission from the victims’ families to disclose their names so they can mourn. All three worked for or were involved in the provincial and town government.
“Our hearts are heavy with the loss of these three men,” the city and county Eagle said in a joint statement.
The avalanche occurred Monday between the towns of Silverton and Ophir in an area known as “The Nose,” according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. The town of Eagle is about 100 miles northeast of the area.
Four people in the backcountry ski group were buried, but one was rescued with only minor injuries.
According to San Juan County emergency officials, a search was launched and the skiers were found Wednesday.
They had beacons that helped crews locate them. They were buried in more than 20 feet of avalanche debris, the San Juan emergency management office said in a statement.
The avalanche occurred in an area known as the center fork of Mineral Creek, and according to a report from the avalanche center, released on a slope of the northeastern area, about 11,500 feet.
Jessen was the mayor of Eagle Town Council; Palmer was a board member who was also Eagle County’s director for sustainable communities; and Bossung was a project manager for energy efficiency for the country and an architect, officials said.
Jessen also owned a Bonfire Brewing brewery in Eagle, and all three lived in Eagle County, which is northeast of Silverton, officials said.
“Their contributions through their work in local government and local businesses, as well as their personal passions and their impact on the friends and family members they leave behind, have helped shape the community in a way that will last forever,” said the town and province. of Eagle said in the statement.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has joined those mourning the loss of the three men.
‘Those who tragically got lost in this avalanche were the pillars of their community, government officials and friends for many. “My thoughts are with their families, friends and the Eagle County community during a heartbreaking and unimaginable moment,” Polis said in a statement.
The governor also said the state was experiencing a particularly dangerous avalanche season and encouraged people to keep abreast of the conditions.
In the 2020-2021 season, ahead of Monday’s avalanche, four people died in avalanches in Colorado, according to the website of the Avalanche Information Center.
