2 dead after avalanche in central Washington, authorities say
Two men were killed in an avalanche in central Washington while backcountry snowmobiling, authorities said Saturday.
Four men were recreating in backcountry snow near the Longs Pass trail in the mountains of northern Kittitas County when they were caught in an avalanche at around 4 p.m. Friday, according to the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office.
Paul Markoff, 38, of North Bend, and Erik Henne, 43, of Snoqualmie Pass, were killed in the incident, the sheriff’s office said. The survivors, identified as Ian Laing and Patrick Leslie, were able to send a distress call using a Garmin satellite device, a portable communicator for areas with limited or no cell service.
Sheriff’s deputies, along with the Kittitas County Search and Rescue volunteers, responded and reached the remote area using snowmobiles and winter backcountry equipment, according to the sheriff’s office. The two survivors were rescued that evening.
“Due to hazardous conditions, a nighttime recovery operation for the deceased was not conducted,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Saturday morning, teams returned with three trained avalanche search police dogs but later had to request air support due to the rugged and remote terrain, according to the sheriff’s office.
A helicopter from King County airlifted the two deceased men to a search base, and the ground team was able to recover the four men’s personal belongings, including two snowmobiles.
Cause of avalanche not immediately known
Representatives from the Northwest Avalanche Center also responded to the scene to assist in analyzing the incident, according to the sheriff’s office.
It was not immediately known what caused the avalanche, but the Northwest Avalanche Center had reported that the four backcountry tourers were caught and carried in the avalanche in the “upper Teanaway River drainage of the East Central zone.”
“One tourer was not buried, one was partially buried and injured, one was fully buried and killed, and one was fully buried and is presumed dead,” the Northwest Avalanche Center said in a Saturday statement . “Our hearts go out to the family, friends, and community of those involved in this accident.”
Before the incident, heavy mountain snow had been impacting Washington through the week, according to the National Weather Service’s field office in Seattle. On Thursday, the weather service reported that 34 inches of snow were recorded on Mount Baker, 25 inches of snow at Stevens Pass, and 27 inches at Snoqualmie Pass.
On Saturday, the weather service warned that high snow levels and additional rain were expected across the region into the week, especially in the Olympic and northern Cascade mountains. Flooding was also forecast along the Skokomish River.
Latest avalanche fatality in U.S.
Each winter, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the United States, according to the National Avalanche Center. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has noted that the majority of incidents involve backcountry skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers.
As of Sunday, five people have been killed across the country by avalanches for the 2025 to 2026 winter season, according to data from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. For the 2024 to 2025 winter season, a total of 22 people were killed in avalanches.
Several incidents have made national headlines over the last year, including two separate avalanches in Oregon and California in February 2025 that killed three skiers.
In March 2025, another skier was found dead after being caught in an avalanche in Utah’s Uinta mountains, and three heli-skiers and a teenager were killed in separate avalanches in Alaska.
In December 2025, a ski patroller was killed in an avalanche at Mammoth Mountain resort in central California while conducting avalanche mitigation work. Earlier this month, a snowmobiler was killed in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range after an avalanche buried him in snow.
This article originally appeared on USA Today
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