HELENA, Mont.—Two witnesses to a deadly avalanche near Whitefish Mountain Resort in northwestern Montana were taken back to the scene Wednesday as authorities reassessed their search for possible victims.
Flathead County authorities have been unable to confirm reports that two others were buried in Sunday's avalanche. The bodies of two backcountry skiers were recovered a short time after the slide, but authorities have not found any sign of other possible victims.
Meanwhile, the search has been hampered by bad weather and high avalanche danger in the area.
"Further search efforts will be dependent upon new information gathered during the interviews currently underway, the safety of the avalanche site and the route to the avalanche," Sheriff Mike Meehan said in a statement.
Authorities said they have contacted every hotel, recreation and transportation company in Flathead County to determine if anyone might be missing. The effort has come up empty.
A storm Monday night and Tuesday dropped between 8 and 14 inches of new snow in the area. About 20 searchers looked for four hours Tuesday afternoon -- after groomers scraped 5 to 7 feet of snow from the search area -- but found nothing, Undersheriff Pete Wingert said.
"Just the wind makes me real hesitant to get somebody else up there," Wingert said Wednesday. "It's risky business for sure, so we need something in addition to just scene safety.
The search has been taking place on Fiberglass Hill, a popular area on a ridge near the Whitefish resort. Authorities have not said what triggered the slide that killed Anthony Kollmann, 19, of Kalispell and David Gogolak, 36, of Whitefish.
Kollmann was an avid skier who grew up in Montana, while Gogolak had recently moved to the area after spending years as a restaurateur in San Francisco. Authorities said Gogolak was skiing with his brother-in-law, who survived the avalanche.
Gogolak's father is former pro football kicker Peter Gogolak, who played for the Buffalo Bills in 1964 and 1965 and for the New York Giants from 1966-74, according to the younger Gogolak's obituary. Peter Gogolak was the first "soccer-style" kicker in professional football and is the Giants' all-time leading scorer with 646 points, according to the team's Web site.
A telephone call to Peter Gogolak's home in Darien, Conn., was not immediately returned. A memorial service for David Gogolak was planned for Thursday in Whitefish.
Avalanches have killed at least 21 people across the West since Dec. 2, according to the National Avalanche Center. The national annual average for avalanche deaths is about 25. Thirty-five people were killed nationwide in avalanches in the 2001-2002 season, the most on record, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
