Avalanche — Upper Slopes of the Est Washington Cascade Crest, Washington

2026-01-09 · Upper Slopes of the Est Washington Cascade Crest, Washington

Event narrative

The Northwest Avalanche Center reported an avalanche occurred in Longs Pass when 4 backcountry skiers attempted to descend a south facing slope. Two of four skiers passed away from either injuries sustained from the avalanche or from being buried by avalanche debris. In their report, the Avalanche center suggested that the avalanche failed on a melt-freeze crust from a rain even that occurred earlier in the month.

Wider weather episode

A human triggered avalanche occurred on December 9th in the area of Long Pass in Kittitas county. The avalanche was preceded by a multi day heavy snow event that saw 1 to 2 feet of snow fall in the region.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1314555. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.