Two men lost their lives in an avalanche last Friday (January 9) near Longs Pass in Washington’s Cascade Mountains. The victims, identified as Paul Markoff, 38, of North Bend, and Erik Henne, 43, of Snoqualmie Pass, were part of a group of four backcountry travelers caught in the avalanche around 4:00 p.m. local time. The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office reported that the group was snowmobiling in the area when the incident occurred.
The two survivors, Ian Laing and Patrick Leslie, managed to send a distress signal using a Garmin satellite device, which is crucial for communication in remote areas with limited cell service. According to the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office, search and rescue teams reached the site using snowmobiles and winter backcountry equipment, rescuing the survivors that evening. However, due to hazardous conditions, recovery of the deceased was postponed until Saturday (January 10), when a helicopter from King County airlifted the bodies.
The cause of the avalanche remains unclear, but the Northwest Avalanche Center reported that the avalanche occurred in the upper Teanaway River drainage of the East Central zone. Heavy snowfall from a series of storms had affected the region, contributing to high avalanche risks.
The National Avalanche Center advises winter sports enthusiasts to check weather and avalanche forecasts before venturing into mountain areas and to carry essential safety gear, including an avalanche beacon, airbag, probe, and shovel. Each winter, avalanches claim the lives of 25 to 30 people in the United States. So far this season, five fatalities have been reported nationwide, including the two recent deaths in Washington.
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