DURANGO, Colo. -- Two backcountry skiers died after being caught in an avalanche in southwestern Colorado on Saturday, officials said.

The skiers had been reported overdue from a trip near Vallecito Reservoir, about 24 miles (39 kilometers) northeast of Durango. Just before midnight, a helicopter found an avalanche with tracks leading into it but not out of it, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said. The two skiers were later found buried in about 4 feet (1.2 meters) of avalanche debris, the center said in its preliminary report.

A total of six people have now been killed in avalanches in Colorado this snow season. Seven people died last year, according to the avalanche center.