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Avalanches kill four in Washington state ski resorts Avalanches kill three in Washington state ski resorts
(about 17 hours later)
Two avalanches near Washington state ski resorts killed four people on Sunday, but eight others initially said to be missing were found alive, authorities said. An avalanche near a popular ski resort in Washington state killed three people Sunday, and all those initially reported as missing have been accounted for, a resort official said.
Three skiers died when an avalanche struck near the Stevens Pass ski area in the Cascade Mountains of north-central Washington, King County sheriff's spokeswoman Sergeant Cindi West said. John Gifford, general manager at the Stevens Pass ski area, said he's unsure how many people were caught up in the slide, or whether there were additional injuries. But he said the death toll remains at three.
She said eight other people listed as missing following the avalanche had been found alive and unharmed. The King County sheriff's office earlier said as many as eight people were missing after the avalanche.
"There are three confirmed dead," West said. "The other individuals did self-rescue and are fine." Sgt Cindi West said her office began receiving word about the slide just after noon. Stevens Pass is in the Cascade Mountains, about 80 miles northeast of Seattle.
The snow came down at a road about two miles (3km) from Stevens Pass and about 10 miles (16km) from the town of Skykomish. The avalanche occurred in an out-of-bounds area on the back side of the resort.
In an unrelated incident, West said, a 41-year-old Seattle man was killed in an avalanche at the Alpental ski area while snowboarding out of bounds with friends. The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center on Sunday issued a warning for high avalanche danger for areas above 5,000 feet, saying warmer weather could loosen surface snow and trigger a slide on steeper slopes. The elevation of the avalanche wasn't immediately clear.
"What the witnesses say is ... he started his own avalanche and the avalanche swept him down the hill and over a cliff, which was about a 500ft (150m) fall," she said. At mid-afternoon, the temperature at the base of the ski resort was 24 degrees F, with light winds and good visibility. The temperature at the top of the mountain was 22 degrees, according to the resort's website.
The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Centre warned on Sunday of high avalanche danger above 1,520m (5,000ft) in the Stevens Pass area, with considerable danger at lower altitudes. Gifford said the resort has received 19 inches of snow in the past 24 hours. However, he said it wasn't snowing there Sunday afternoon, and he had no details about the slide.
The centre said heavy snowfall of 76-90cm (30-35in) in the area in recent days had triggered avalanches. Stevens Pass is one of the most popular outdoor recreation areas in the state, with visitors flocking there to go cross-country, back-country and downhill skiing, as well as snowshoeing and backpacking.
It's been a deadly winter in Washington's mountains. Four people disappeared in vicious storms while camping and climbing on Mount Rainier last month. The four remain missing, and authorities have said they're hoping to find their bodies when the snow melts this summer.
Across the West, there had been 13 avalanche deaths this season as of 16 February, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which tracks avalanche deaths in the US.
Experts have said the risk of additional slides could remain high all season. They attribute the dangers in part to a weak base layer of snow caused by a dry winter.
Avalanche deaths are more common in the backcountry than at ski resorts. Out of about 900 avalanche deaths nationwide since the winter of 1950-51, 32 were within terrain that was open for riding at ski resorts, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.
Also Sunday, West said a snowboarder was killed in a separate incident at the Alpental ski area east of Seattle. The snowboarder went over a cliff. No other details were available.