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Emergency officials say an avalanche buried multiple people near the highest peak of a New Mexico ski resort on Thursday, including two who were pulled from the snow as ski patrols continued their search for others. (Jan 17)
AP

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – An avalanche rushed down the mountainside of a New Mexico ski resort on Thursday, injuring two people who were pulled from the snow after a roughly 20-minute rescue effort, a resort spokesman said.

The avalanche near the highest peak of Taos Ski Valley happened around 11:30 a.m., initially spurring fears among authorities that more victims may be buried on the mountain before learning from witnesses that they had seen only two people on the slope at the time of the slide.

Still, both Chris Stagg, a spokesman for Taos Ski Valley, and Bobby Lucero, the director for emergency management in Taos County, said a search of the mountain was continuing as a precaution to ensure no other people remained trapped.

The extent of the injuries for the two people, both males, was not immediately known. But both were taken to hospitals.

The avalanche happened at 11:30 a.m. on a stretch of mountain known as the K3 chute, where expert skiers who ride a lift to Kachina Peak can dart down a partially rock-lined run. It was unknown what triggered the avalanche, but the ski resort said an investigation was planned.

Stagg said the accident happened despite a series of precautions Thursday morning that included sending ski patrollers up the mountain to evaluate conditions and detonate an explosive – a measure meant to trigger a potential slide before skiers take to the slopes for the day. The resort also delayed opening the Kachina Ski Lift at the start of the day, Stagg said.

“We had checked that area for avalanche conditions this morning and enacted controls,” he said. “This is a great example that you’re never 100 percent certain.”

Taos Ski Valley’s terrain covers a 1,200-acre (or nearly 5-square-kilometers) area of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. Its Kachina Peak is a nearly 12,500-foot (or 3,810-meter) summit.

George Brooks, the director of the nonprofit Ski New Mexico, which promotes the sport, said avalanches are fairly rare in the state, and typically terrain is very well controlled at the area’s ski areas. The avalanche comes as the region enjoys one of its better ski seasons in recent years after a spell of dry winters.

A series of snow storms has moved across the Southwest since the start of the New Year, and another was expected to soon hit parts of the region after dropping heaving rain and snow in California.

“If they occur, it’s not usually when anybody is around,” Brooks said of New Mexico avalanches.

Taos Ski Valley had received 2 inches of snow in the last day and 15 inches in the last week, according to its website. The spot where the avalanche happened is prone to winds that can blow up the mountain and create a cornice, meaning avalanches can occur there even without a high level of recent snowfall, Brooks said.

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Visit New Mexico, the 47th state, and it's easy to see why it's nicknamed "The Land of Enchantment." American Pueblo Indian culture remains alive and well here. The beautiful Taos Pueblo, one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities on the continent, draws artists and photographers year-round.
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