Avalanche Strikes Mission Ridge Ski Area

An avalanche occurred at Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort early Sunday afternoon.

The Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC) says the event took place around noon on the Nertz Run within the ski area boundary.

As cautionary measure, rescue crews conducted a thorough search of the vicinity, where at least three skiers had been reported just before the slide occurred but did not locate anyone.

The NWAC says a skier reported weather conditions at Mission Ridge were unseasonably warm on Sunday and overly wet, or loose, snow was a concern on low-angled terrain.

The reporting skier also claimed the avalanche was not naturally-occurring and was likely triggered by humans skiing in the area.

A second avalanche was reported around the same time on Sunday at Solstice Crust near Stevens Pass.

The NWAC is urging skiers and snowboarders to exercise caution and remain vigilant for avalanche hazards as the weather warms up and more rain and heavy, wet snowfall impacts the region's mountainous terrain.

As of Monday, the Nertz was one of 14 runs at Mission Ridge that were closed.