2 snowmobilers killed in avalanche near Mount Baker
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- Searchers on Wednesday found the body of a second snowmobiler killed in an avalanche north of Mount Baker in northwest Washington.
The avalanche hit a group of five snowmobilers on Tuesday and swept them several hundred feet downhill from the 5,300-foot level of the Excelsior Pass area of Church Mountain. The snow was about 5 to 6 feet deep, said Whatcom County sheriff's Deputy George Ratayczak.
Searchers found the body of 63-year-old Danny Woods of Custer on Wednesday afternoon beneath about two feet of snow, sheriff's Lt. Scott Rossmiller said.
A woman found buried beneath the avalanche Tuesday was identified as Shiela Rowe, 43,of Everett.
Two others were unhurt and one person had a minor leg injury.
The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center warned of "considerable avalanche danger above 4,000 feet" in the area, in its forecast for Tuesday.
The deaths occurred the same day that an avalanche near one of Canada's most popular ski resorts swept two men off a cliff, killing one and seriously injuring the other.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Wednesday that the men likely triggered the avalanche when they entered a remote area near West Bowl at Whistler, British Columbia, that was marked "permanently closed." Whistler is about 110 miles north of Mount Baker.
The injured man, who was on a snowboard, was hospitalized in Vancouver with injuries that were not life-threatening, Staff Sgt. Steve Leclair said. The man who died was on skis. Authorities did not release their names Wednesday, although both worked in Whistler, Leclair said.
Two other men were killed after triggering an avalanche on Dec. 24 in British Columbia's interior. They had been snowmobiling at a lake when a small avalanche hit.
They were digging themselves out when a larger one hit, killing them both.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- Searchers on Wednesday found the body of a second snowmobiler killed in an avalanche north of Mount Baker in northwest Washington.
The avalanche hit a group of five snowmobilers on Tuesday and swept them several hundred feet downhill from the 5,300-foot level of the Excelsior Pass area of Church Mountain. The snow was about 5 to 6 feet deep, said Whatcom County sheriff's Deputy George Ratayczak.
Searchers found the body of 63-year-old Danny Woods of Custer on Wednesday afternoon beneath about two feet of snow, sheriff's Lt. Scott Rossmiller said.
A woman found buried beneath the avalanche Tuesday was identified as Shiela Rowe, 43,of Everett.
Two others were unhurt and one person had a minor leg injury.
The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center warned of "considerable avalanche danger above 4,000 feet" in the area, in its forecast for Tuesday.
The deaths occurred the same day that an avalanche near one of Canada's most popular ski resorts swept two men off a cliff, killing one and seriously injuring the other.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Wednesday that the men likely triggered the avalanche when they entered a remote area near West Bowl at Whistler, British Columbia, that was marked "permanently closed." Whistler is about 110 miles north of Mount Baker.
The injured man, who was on a snowboard, was hospitalized in Vancouver with injuries that were not life-threatening, Staff Sgt. Steve Leclair said. The man who died was on skis. Authorities did not release their names Wednesday, although both worked in Whistler, Leclair said.
Two other men were killed after triggering an avalanche on Dec. 24 in British Columbia's interior. They had been snowmobiling at a lake when a small avalanche hit.
They were digging themselves out when a larger one hit, killing them both.
