A single cascading slab near Longs Pass killed two Washington snowmobilers and injured a third, vaulting the 2025-26 season’s national avalanche death toll to five as relentless storm cycles stack unstable layers across the Cascades.
The Slide: 4 P.M., January 9, Longs Pass
Four friends from the Snoqualmie Valley—Paul Markoff, 38, and Erik Henne, 43, both of North Bend, plus survivors Ian Laing and Patrick Leslie—were high-marking on east-facing slopes above the Teanaway River when the snowpack released. A Garmin inReach SOS launched at 4:12 p.m. brought Kittitas County Sheriff’s deputies and volunteers roaring up the drainage on snowmobiles. They pulled the living riders out by nightfall; darkness and continued slide hazard forced them to leave the bodies overnight.
At dawn on January 10, three avalanche dogs pinpointed the victims; a King County helicopter short-hauled both men to a staging area. The Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC) classifies the event as “D2.5–D3”—large enough to bury or destroy a car, triggered by human weight.
Why This Slope Snapped
- 34 inches fell on Mount Baker in 48 hours; 27 inches at Snoqualmie Pass.
- Weak faceted grains formed during Christmas-week cold snap were capped by dense new snow.
- East aspects between 5,400–6,000 ft—exactly where the group rode—were rated “Considerable” (Level 3 of 5).
- Snowmobile high-marking adds concentrated weight on a small footprint, a proven trigger.
Seasonal Toll Climbs Faster Than 2024-25
With Markoff and Henne, the national fatality count hits five—Colorado Avalanche Information Center data show the 2024-25 winter ended at 22 deaths. The five-year average is 27; at this pace the U.S. will eclipse that marker before February. Four of the five deaths involved snowmobiles, reversing the typical skier-majority trend.
Survival Toolkit That Worked—And What Didn’t
Laing and Leslie owed their rescue to a single Garmin inReach ping; without it, night-time temperatures near zero would have turned injuries into a double tragedy. Neither victim wore an avalanche air-bag pack; both were buried roughly 1.5 meters deep, below the 15-minute survival window most rescue teams target.
Forecast: More Snow, More Weak Layers
The Seattle NWS office warns another 1–2 feet is possible through January 14 across the Cascades’ crest, with snow levels rising above 4,000 ft mid-week—exactly the elevation band of Saturday’s slide. NWAC has expanded its motorized advisory to include “very cautious route selection below ridgelines and avoidance of steep, convex rolls.”
Bottom Line for Riders
Every additional storm cycle stacks weight on Christmas-week weak facets. Until the snowpack sees a sustained thaw or rain crust, eastern aspects above 5,000 ft remain a coin flip. Carry and practice with beacon-probe-shovel, pre-plan escape zones, and treat any slope steeper than 30° as suspect—no matter how fresh the powder looks.
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