1 dead, 5 survive after avalanche at Washington’s Crystal Mountain

SEATTLE — The first big storm of the season dropped about a foot of snow on Crystal Mountain on Friday evening, and a group of six men, a mix of friends and family, had taken to the Silver Basin area backcountry for a day of ski touring.

The area — a large, steep open bowl that straddles the south end of the resort’s ski boundary — wasn’t yet open. The resort only opened last week, a relatively late season start, and the ski patrol hadn’t completed its avalanche-control work.

Before 11 a.m. Saturday, tragedy struck: An avalanche buried at least four of the skiers, and one, a 60-year-old man, died. He is the first to die on the mountain since 2019, officials from the resort said. Details on the man’s identity and others in the group were not immediately released.

Frank DeBerry, president and chief operation officer of Crystal Mountain Resort, said he did not know if the other men in the group required medical attention.

“This should serve as a really firm reminder that, even though it’s late, even though we’re all anxious to get out there and be on the snow and have a good time, and even though this is the very first snowstorm we’ve had to enjoy all year ... if you are backcountry skiing ... you need to remember all of those (safety) practices and take great care and pay very close attention to open and closed terrain,” said DeBerry.

Around 10:50 a.m., the ski patrol received a call from someone in the party reporting that a group of six people had been struck by an avalanche. When it’s open, the area is designated as a black diamond, which means it is some of the steepest, and most difficult terrain to traverse. Before the patrol takes avalanche mitigation measures — like using explosives to trigger avalanches while skiers aren’t on the mountain — the area is prone to drifts breaking off and collapsing.

Sgt. Darren Moss of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said the group was equipped with electronic avalanche beacons. Those who survived, DeBerry said, either dug themselves out of the barrage of snow or were rescued by other members of the party. The 60-year-old man, though pulled from under the snow, had stopped breathing and couldn’t be revived, Moss said.

The ski patrol arrived and led the group down the mountain, DeBerry said, adding he did not immediately have details about when patrol located the group.

Staff posted warnings to other skiers, he said, out of concern that snow hanging above the avalanche’s crown — a so-called “hang fire” — might put them in danger if they tried to ski in the area.

The ski resort’s winter season has only just begun, with limited lift operations this weekend in preparation for a full reopening on Monday. According to the resort’s mountain report Saturday morning, snow was “packing up and wind is blowing strong.”