Two men were killed in an avalanche in central Washington state while backcountry snowmobiling, authorities said on Jan. 10.
Four men were recreating in backcountry snow near the Longs Pass trail in the mountains of northern Kittitas County when they were caught in an avalanche at around 4 p.m. local time on Jan. 9, according to the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office. Kittitas County is about 71 miles east of King County, which includes Seattle.
Paul Markoff, 38, of North Bend, and Erik Henne, 43, of Snoqualmie Pass, were killed in the incident, the sheriff's office said. The survivors, identified as Ian Laing and Patrick Leslie, were able to send a distress call using a Garmin satellite device, a portable communicator for areas with limited or no cell service.
Sheriff's deputies, along with the Kittitas County Search and Rescue volunteers, responded and reached the remote area using snowmobiles and winter backcountry equipment, according to the sheriff's office. The two survivors were rescued that evening.
"Due to hazardous conditions, a nighttime recovery operation for the deceased was not conducted," the sheriff's office said ina statement.
On the morning of Jan. 10, teams returned with three trained avalanche search police dogs but later had to request air support due to the rugged and remote terrain, according to the sheriff's office. A helicopter from King County airlifted the two deceased men to a search base, and the ground team was able to recover the four men's personal belongings, including two snowmobiles.
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Cause of avalanche not immediately known
Representatives from the Northwest Avalanche Center also responded to the scene to assist in analyzing the incident, according to the sheriff's office.
It was not immediately known what caused the avalanche, but the Northwest Avalanche Center had reported that the four backcountry tourers were caught and carried in the avalanche in the "upper Teanaway River drainage of the East Central zone."
"One tourer was not buried, one was partially buried and injured, one was fully buried and killed, and one was fully buried and is presumed dead," the Northwest Avalanche Center said ina statementon Jan. 10. "Our hearts go out to the family, friends, and community of those involved in this accident."
Before the incident, heavy mountain snow had been impacting Washington state through the week, according to the National Weather Service'sfield office in Seattle. On Jan. 8, the weather service reported that 34 inches of snow were recorded on Mount Baker, 25 inches of snow at Stevens Pass, and 27 inches at Snoqualmie Pass.
On Jan. 10, the weather service warned that high snow levels and additional rain were expected across the region into the week, especially in the Olympic and northern Cascade Mountains. Flooding was also forecast along the Skokomish River.
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Latest avalanche fatality in the United States
Each winter, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the United States, according to the National Avalanche Center. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has noted that the majority of incidents involve backcountry skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers.
As of Jan. 11, five people have been killed across the country by avalanches for the 2025 to 2026 winter season, according to data from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. For the 2024 to 2025 winter season, a total of 22 people were killed in avalanches.
Several incidents have made national headlines over the last year, includingtwo separate avalanchesin Oregon and California in February 2025 that killed three skiers. In March 2025, another skier was found dead after being caught in anavalanche in Utah's Uinta mountains, andthree heli-skiersanda teenagerwere killed in separate avalanches in Alaska.
In December 2025, aski patroller was killedin an avalanche at Mammoth Mountain resort in central California while conducting avalanche mitigation work. Earlier this month, a snowmobiler was killed inCalifornia's Sierra Nevada mountain rangeafter an avalanche buried him in snow.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Avalanche in central Washington state kills 2 men and injures 2 others
