Sad, very sad. Extreme avalanche danger in the Cascades after up to 40" of snow in two days, on top of a firm base, yet two groups ventured into the backcountry, which they accessed from the ski areas..of Stevens Pass, and Alpental, near Snoqualmie Pass.
http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiin...avalanche-washington-stevens-pass-kills-three Top woman skier Elyse Saugstad was saved by her airbag, which deployed. She was carried 2000-3000 feet. here's a great video of her skiing and being interviewed.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6014919
One of the deceased was the marketing director of Steven's Pass, another was head judge of the Freeeskiing World Tour (they put on big mountain "extreme" ski contests)
http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiing/blog/_/post/5754131/the-judge-spoken/
I haven't skiied Tunnel Creek, off the backside of Stevens, but it is beyond me why that organized group of top skiers ventured there today. It's a huge avalanche path.
The snowboarder killed near Alpental was above a super gnarly face called ESOD (Eat Shit and Die). Unfortunately, that is what happened, when a small slide swept him over the cliff. The line is 60-70 degrees steep, and has only seen two descents, one by top bc skier Andrew McLean, back in the 1980's when he coached the area alpine race team. Here's a shot: