STEVENS PASS — Authorities are now saying three people are dead after an avalanche near Stevens Pass.
King County sheriff’s Sgt. Cindi West says her office began receiving word about the avalanche near the Stevens Pass ski area just after noon.
West initially said two people had died but later confirmed there were three deaths.
She says the deaths occurred in an out-of-bounds area near the resort.
Eight people initially were reported missing, but all of the skiers eventually were found and accounted for, said Sgt. Katy Larson of the King County Sheriff’s Office.
The three people confirmed dead were all men between 30 and 40 years old.
All of the skiers were said to be experienced and all had appropriate gear.
The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center today issued a warning for high avalanche danger for areas above 5,000 feet in both the Cascades and Olympics.
Hurricane Ridge Road in Olympic National Park south of Port Angeles was already closed today because of avalanche danger.
The elevation of the killer avalanche wasn’t immediately clear.
Meanwhile, West also says a snowboarder has been killed in a separate incident at the Alpental ski area east of Seattle. The snowboarder went over a cliff today.
