Two deaths confirmed in separate avalanches in Colorado and New Mexico

The second victim of last week's incident at Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico, is dead, relatives said, while another was killed Monday near Aspen, Colorado.</s>A man was killed in an avalanche near Aspen, Colorado, authorities said Monday, the same day that relatives confirmed the second victim an avalanche last week in New Mexico had died.

The Pitkin County, Colorado, Sheriff's Office said the man who died Monday was trapped in an avalanche near the Markley Hut, a boarding facility for skiers along Express Creek south of Aspen.

The man was part of a group of six skiers who were caught in the avalanche at about 10:20 a.m. (12:20 p.m. ET), the sheriff's office said. Attempts at CPR failed to revive the man, whose identity was withheld released pending notification of his family, officials said.

The five other members of the ski group and all 26 responding members of the Mountain Rescue Aspen team were alive and safe, the sheriff's office said.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said an advisory was in effect for Aspen-area mountains through Monday evening. More than 280 avalanches had been recorded in the region since Jan. 11.

No further information was immediately available.

Meanwhile, relatives confirmed that Corey Borg-Massanari, 22, of Vail, Colorado, died at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where he had been listed in critical condition since the avalanche Thursday on Kachina Peak at Taos Ski Valley, about 125 miles northeast of Albuquerque.

Matthew Zonghetti, 26, of Mansfield, Massachusetts, with whom Borg-Massanari was skiing, died shortly after the incident last week, Sherman & Jackson Funeral Home of Mansfield confirmed.

They are believed to be the only two victims, Taos Ski Valley said.

Borg-Massanari was born in Pueblo, Colorado, and was raised in Brainerd, Minnesota, his family said. He attended Colorado Mountain College and began working as a zip line tour guide at Zip Adventures in Wolcott, Colorado, in May.

"Corey was an experienced and avid skier and loved the outdoors," his family said. "He enjoyed camping, fishing, zip-lining, snowmobiling, dirt biking and so much more. He liked working on his Jeep with his dad and learned the love of cooking from his mom."</s>Two deaths have been confirmed in the US after two separate avalanches in Colorado and New Mexico trapped skiers in crushing snow this week and last.

Authorities in Aspen, Colorado confirmed the most recent death on Monday, which happened to be the same day that relatives of a New Mexico avalanche victim announced their loss. A second victim of the New Mexico avalanche had already been reported.

The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that 26 rescue workers were dispatched after the Colorado avalanche, but that weather and avalanche conditions made rescue operations difficult.

“Twenty six members of Mountain Rescue Aspen were involved in the mission that quickly turned into a recovery operation for the deceased skier. Rescuers were hampered by weather and local avalanche conditions,” the release said.

The office’s statement continued: “The deceased male’s name is being withheld upon notification of next of kin. The remaining members of the skiing group were transported out of the area by rescuers and were put in contact with the Aspen Hope Center for grief counseling services.”

The unnamed man was reportedly among six skiers who were caught int he avalanche at around 10.20am local time on Monday. Attempts to resuscitate the man were unsuccessful. The other skiers were alive and safe, according to the sheriff.

The victim of the New Mexico avalanche was identified on Tuesday by family as Corey Borg-Massanari, a 2015 Minnesota high school graduate.

“Corey was known for his smile, his quirky sense of humor and his unique sense of style,” read a statement from New Mexico Donor Services provided to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Corey was an experienced and avid skier, and loved the outdoors. He enjoyed camping, fishing, zip-lining, snowmobiling, dirt biking and so much more.”

The New Mexico avalanche last week killed one other individual as well, 26-year-old Matthew Zonghetti, of Massachusetts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Two men are killed in separate avalanches at U.S. ski resorts, one near Aspen, Colorado, and another in Kachina Peak at Taos Ski Valley, approximately 125 miles (201 km) northeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico.