Two backcountry recreators were killed in an avalanche Friday, according to the Kittitas County sheriff’s office.
Two others survived. One suffered injuries, the Northwest Avalanche Center reported.
The avalanche slid down Longs Pass around 4 p.m. in the eastern slopes of the Cascades, just south of the Enchantments. Snow partially buried one of the men, who was injured, and fully buried the two others: Paul Markoff, 38, of North Bend and Erik Henne, 43, of Snoqualmie Pass, according to the sheriff’s office.
One tourer wasn’t buried or injured, the avalanche center reported.
The survivors sent a distress call via a Garmin satellite device. A search and rescue team responded with snowmobiles and backcountry gear, bringing the two surviving men to safety.
A Kittitas County sheriff’s office search team returned to the site with daylight on Saturday, along three trained search dogs. King County’s Guardian 2 helicopter ultimately airlifted the remains of both men to a base camp.
The cause and manner of the deaths will be determined by the Kittitas County coroner’s office.
Avalanche center forecasters responded to assist in the investigation.
“Our hearts go out to the family, friends, and community of those involved in this accident,” the avalanche center posted on Facebook.
The trailhead to Longs Pass is about an hour’s drive north of Cle Elum, in the upper Teanaway River drainage.
The avalanche center, which releases daily forecasts, warned Friday evening of a moderate danger level, the second-lowest danger in a five-point scale, for backcountry skiing in the East Central region where the avalanche took place.
The center’s forecast recommended paying attention to “firmer or textured surfaces in steep, exposed terrain, as this could mean wind loaded snow lurks nearby.” Forecasters noted sluffs of wet snow could be released from steep cliffs. It wasn’t clear what exact snow conditions or terrain the backcountry skiers encountered, except that it was “rugged, remote terrain,” according to the sheriff’s office.
“The ground team also recovered the men’s personal effects, including two snowmobiles used by the party,” according to the sheriff’s office.
In a separate incident, a 27-year-old snowboarder died on Thursday after he crashed into a creek at Stevens Pass, according to the King County sheriff’s office.