Photo: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via GettyOne person is dead and five others have been rescued afteran avalanche on Crystal Mountainin Washington on Saturday, according to authorities.The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department was informed of the incident, which occurred in the Silver Basin backcountry area of the mountain, just before 11 a.m. local time, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page.The skier who died wasa 60-year-old man, according toKING 5 News. It’s unknown if the other skiers were injured.One witness reported a group of six skiers had become trapped in the avalanche. Each victim was equipped with an avalanche beacon, allowing rescuers to “quickly” locate them.“All of the skiers were pulled from the snow, but one was not breathing,” the sheriff’s department said on Facebook. “Rescuers attempted CPR, but the skier died at the scene.“PEOPLE has reached out to Pierce County Police for comment.The National Weather Service has issueda Winter Weather Warningfor elevations in the area above 2000 ft. through 4 p.m. local time Sunday. Heavy snow is expected to continue, with accumulations of 12 to 15 inches possible.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.According to the Crystal Mountain ski resort’s Twitter page, the Mt. Rainier Gondola was closed on Saturday due to100 mph windsat the summit. “Yes, that’s hurricane status!” they said.“Please drive carefully if you are coming to the mountains this weekend,” the resort added.Crystal Mountain, which celebrated itsopening dayfor the 2021-2022 season on Friday, told police that it would conduct “normal operations” on Saturday since the avalanche occurred in the backcountry.King 5 News reports that only the beginner and intermediate lifts at the resort were open Saturday, and only the lower mountain was lift serviced.
Photo: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty
One person is dead and five others have been rescued afteran avalanche on Crystal Mountainin Washington on Saturday, according to authorities.The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department was informed of the incident, which occurred in the Silver Basin backcountry area of the mountain, just before 11 a.m. local time, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page.The skier who died wasa 60-year-old man, according toKING 5 News. It’s unknown if the other skiers were injured.One witness reported a group of six skiers had become trapped in the avalanche. Each victim was equipped with an avalanche beacon, allowing rescuers to “quickly” locate them.“All of the skiers were pulled from the snow, but one was not breathing,” the sheriff’s department said on Facebook. “Rescuers attempted CPR, but the skier died at the scene.“PEOPLE has reached out to Pierce County Police for comment.The National Weather Service has issueda Winter Weather Warningfor elevations in the area above 2000 ft. through 4 p.m. local time Sunday. Heavy snow is expected to continue, with accumulations of 12 to 15 inches possible.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.According to the Crystal Mountain ski resort’s Twitter page, the Mt. Rainier Gondola was closed on Saturday due to100 mph windsat the summit. “Yes, that’s hurricane status!” they said.“Please drive carefully if you are coming to the mountains this weekend,” the resort added.Crystal Mountain, which celebrated itsopening dayfor the 2021-2022 season on Friday, told police that it would conduct “normal operations” on Saturday since the avalanche occurred in the backcountry.King 5 News reports that only the beginner and intermediate lifts at the resort were open Saturday, and only the lower mountain was lift serviced.
One person is dead and five others have been rescued afteran avalanche on Crystal Mountainin Washington on Saturday, according to authorities.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department was informed of the incident, which occurred in the Silver Basin backcountry area of the mountain, just before 11 a.m. local time, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page.
The skier who died wasa 60-year-old man, according toKING 5 News. It’s unknown if the other skiers were injured.
One witness reported a group of six skiers had become trapped in the avalanche. Each victim was equipped with an avalanche beacon, allowing rescuers to “quickly” locate them.
“All of the skiers were pulled from the snow, but one was not breathing,” the sheriff’s department said on Facebook. “Rescuers attempted CPR, but the skier died at the scene.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Pierce County Police for comment.
The National Weather Service has issueda Winter Weather Warningfor elevations in the area above 2000 ft. through 4 p.m. local time Sunday. Heavy snow is expected to continue, with accumulations of 12 to 15 inches possible.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
According to the Crystal Mountain ski resort’s Twitter page, the Mt. Rainier Gondola was closed on Saturday due to100 mph windsat the summit. “Yes, that’s hurricane status!” they said.
“Please drive carefully if you are coming to the mountains this weekend,” the resort added.
Crystal Mountain, which celebrated itsopening dayfor the 2021-2022 season on Friday, told police that it would conduct “normal operations” on Saturday since the avalanche occurred in the backcountry.
King 5 News reports that only the beginner and intermediate lifts at the resort were open Saturday, and only the lower mountain was lift serviced.
source: people.com
