Avalanche at Washington state ski resort kills 1, traps 5

By SALLY HO
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — An avalanche has swept through a ski area in Washington state, killing a 60-year-old man and temporarily trapping five others. Police say the avalanche was reported about 10:50 a.m. Saturday in the Silver Basin area of Crystal Mountain, which is located southeast of Seattle. The identity of the man who died hasn’t been released, but authorities say he wasn’t breathing after being pulled out of the snow and didn’t survive despite CPR efforts by another skier. While all of those caught in the avalanche were experienced backcountry skiers, a warning had been issued against skiing in the area, which was just inside the boundaries of Crystal Mountain Resort.