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On Saturday a 60-year-old man died in an avalanche at Crystal Mountain, WA. Five other skiers were rescued. All the victims were equipped with avalanche beacons, allowing rescuers to locate them.

Sgt. Darren Moss of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said the survivors of the group either dug themselves out of the snow or were rescued by other members of the party. The man, who died was not breathing when he was pulled from under the snow.

On Friday the Silver Basin area had received over a foot of snow in a 24-hour period. Winds were up to 100 mph at the summit.

And although the Crystal Mountain ski resort was open, it had limited lift operations. The Mount Rainier Gondola was still closed.  And the ski patrol wasn’t finished with their avalanche-control work. 

Silver Basin, which has been designated a Black Diamond area, was still closed for skiing. 

 Frank DeBerry, president, and chief operating officer of Crystal Mountain Resort, issued a statement.

“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,” DeBerry said.

This is the first avalanche fatality for the 2021-2022 ski season in the U.S. He is the first to die on Crystal Mountain since 2019, the resort reports. And according to the Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC) he is the second person to die in an avalanche in Washington state this year. 

Washington State Trooper Steve Houle died after he was buried in an avalanche while snow biking in the Cascades west of Salmon la Sac Sno-Park.

Avalanche area designated “Black Diamond” 

Silver Basin is a steep, large, bowl-shaped area just off the south end of the resort’s ski boundary. 

Even when open, the area is designated as a black diamond. This means it is one of the steepest and most dangerous terrains. The ski patrol pays special attention to these areas. And uses avalanche mitigation measures. They often use explosives to trigger avalanches before skiers are allowed on the mountain.

Black Diamond areas are especially avalanche-prone. Increased snowfall creates snow shifting and collapsing into avalanches in steep terrains.

Resort staff posted warnings to other skiers, DeBerry said. When snow is hanging above the avalanche’s crown known as a “hang fire” increases the danger to skiers.