Avalanche kills two backcountry skiers in Washington
Two men were killed and two others rescued after an avalanche swept four backcountry tourers near the Longs Pass trail in central Washington on Friday afternoon, Jan. 9, 2026, according to the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office and the Northwest Avalanche Center. Survivors Ian Laing and Patrick Leslie used a Garmin satellite device to call for help and were evacuated by rescuers on snowmobiles that evening. Authorities say one of the remaining men was fully buried and killed and the other was fully buried and presumed dead; hazardous conditions forced responders to pause overnight before resuming recovery on Saturday. The bodies of the victims — 38‑year‑old Paul Markoff of North Bend and 43‑year‑old Erik Henne of Snoqualmie Pass — were located with the help of K9 teams and air support and taken to the Kittitas County Coroner’s Office along with their recovered belongings and snowmobiles. The case underscores the lethal risks of backcountry travel in unstable snowpacks even for equipped groups and follows regional avalanche warnings issued this winter in the Cascades.
📌 Key Facts
- Four men were caught in an avalanche near Longs Pass trail in northern Kittitas County, Washington, on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.
- Two survivors, identified as Ian Laing and Patrick Leslie, sent a distress call via a Garmin satellite device and were rescued by snowmobile that evening.
- Victims Paul Markoff, 38, of North Bend, and Erik Henne, 43, of Snoqualmie Pass, were found dead the next day after hazardous conditions forced an overnight pause in recovery operations.
📊 Relevant Data
In the United States, there were an average of 22.5 avalanche fatalities per year over the last 11 years (from 2014 to 2024).
Colorado & National Avalanche Deaths [Updated 2025] — trialproven.com
Approximately 86% of avalanche victims in the United States are male, with a mean age of 29 years (range 6-67 years) based on data from 1950 to 2013.
Avalanche Fatalities in the United States: A Change in Demographics — journals.sagepub.com
The median age of avalanche victims in the United States increased to 44 during the 2020-2021 season, reflecting a trend toward older victims.
Why Are Older People the Ones Dying in Avalanches? — skimag.com
Between 1999 and 2020, American Indian/Alaska Native older adults had more than 4 times the rate of mortality from forces of nature (including avalanches) compared to White older adults in the United States.
Mortality From Forces of Nature Among Older Adults by Race/Ethnicity, Age Group, and Sex – United States, 1999–2020 — par.nsf.gov
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