Avalanche kills 3 climbers in Washington's Cascade mountains

Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Three climbers were killed in an avalanche in Washington tate's Cascade mountains, in what is the nation's deadliest avalanche this winter.

The three killed were among a group of six people from a New York climbing club. The group was scaling 8,705-foot Colchuck Peak on Sunday near Leavenworth, about 120 miles east of Seattle.

According to the Northwest Avalanche Center, the lead climber triggered the avalanche.

"While ascending the route, the lead climber triggered a slab avalanche that caught and carried four members of the team approximately 500 feet to the base of the climb," according to the avalanche center's report.

Two of the climbers died immediately from trauma sustained in the fall. Another died later, while a fourth person suffered ankle and knee injuries, according to the Chelan County Sheriff's office.

"It sounds like the lead climber actually caused the avalanche by planting his ice ax and triggered a slab, that they were on, to slide," Chelan County Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Reinfeld said as he called it a tragic accident.

"This is something that happens," Reinfeld added. "You can mitigate those risks by knowing avalanche conditions and being aware of what could trigger it and how hazardous conditions are." None of the climbers had formal avalanche training.

The victims, who have not been identified, are a 53-year-old man from Connecticut, a 60-year-old woman from New York and a 66-year-old man from New Jersey.

A 56-year-old man from New York survived the avalanche. The two other climbers, who were not caught in the slide, managed to hike down to their base camp and call for help, according to Rich Magnussen, the emergency management program specialist for the Chelan County Sheriff's Office, who said it was Monday morning before they heard about the deaths.

"It's real extreme conditions up there," Magnussen said. "So when you get snow down here in the valley, you can times it by 10 up there."

Three more avalanches, which hit about an hour after Sunday's initial snow slide, may have buried two of those killed, according to Magnussen who has talked with the survivors.

Heavy wind, with gusts up to 60 miles per hour, prevented crews from recovering the victims Tuesday.

The Northwest Avalanche Center plans to assess the terrain Wednesday morning. If the weather improves Thursday, the sheriff's office will send helicopters back to the mountain to recover the bodies.