Brothers Caught In Two Avalanches On Same Peak

Two brothers both feared the other was dead after they were caught in two massive avalanches while skiing in Colorado.

Alex and Brian Holmes were skiing near Telluride, between Trout Lake and Ophir, when they were caught up in the separate avalanches.

Brian Holmes, 26, had started to descend from the top of the Fatwa area, near Waterfall Canyon, when he triggered the first avalanche, KUSA-TV reported.

His brother Alex, 27, watched on as he saw the cascade of snow and ice sweep his sibling out of sight.

But when he tried to ski down to his brother, he triggered a second slide.

Alex Holmes then went to get help after extricating himself from the snow believing Brian - who was 1,000ft further down the slope - had been killed.

San Miguel County Sheriff's Office said Brian Holmes landed on his back and was buried under the snow, with only his face and one arm exposed.

It took him around 15 minutes to work himself free of the snow, before he frantically searched for an hour for his brother who he feared had been killed in the second avalanche.

Alex Holmes had managed to make contact with search and rescue personnel, who launched a helicopter and Telluride Ski Patrollers with a trained avalanche dog to search for his brother.

During the search, emergency crews received a call from Brian's phone. They said they could hear someone breathing, although no one spoke.

Brian Holmes made it back to Ophir. He was injured in the avalanche, but is expected to survive, according to authorities.