A 36-year-old Snoqualmie Pass man was apparently killed in an avalanche at Red Mountain near Snoqualmie Pass Tuesday night, April 11. The man, reportedly an experienced skier, was found after 9 p.m. by Search and Rescue volunteers, in an avalanche debris field, dead from injuries suffered in the avalanche. He had crampons on his boots, with his skis still attached to his pack.

“He was probably heading up when the avalanche hit,” said King County Sheriff’s spokesperson Cindi West on Wednesday morning.

“He was very experienced, had all the right gear, had a plan in place,” West continued. “He called a friend and said ‘I’ll be back by 1 o’clock.’”

When he hadn’t returned by 2;45 p.m., the friend called police.

Searchers located the man’s car, with a dog inside, in the parking lot near where he’d planned to go skiing. The dog, owned by the man’s girlfriend who was out of town until late last night, was released to her when she returned.

The man’s location when he was found was also the general area of two avalanche deaths last year, West said, but added “I was told yesterday was considered low avalanche danger.”

The King County Medical Examiner will determine the man’s identification and cause of death.