Three experienced skiers were killed yesterday when an avalanche hit at a Washington State ski resort. The three victims were part of a group of a dozen who were making their way through 15cms of fresh snow at the back of the Stevens Pass resort.

The avalanche struck around noon local time. A fourth skier caught up was saved by deploying a safety airbag. The other members of the party managed to free themselves and rushed to locate and help the other skiers.

The Stevens Pass resort is in Washington State’s Cascade Mountains and around 140kms from Seattle. The resort’s base elevation is 1,238m. The local weather and avalanche forecast centre had warned earlier of possible avalanches in the environs of Stevens Pass at altitudes above 1,500m.

A spokesperson for the local sheriff’s office, sergeant Katie Larson, said the group of skiers were capable and had been well equipped. She added that the skiers had been in a no-go canyon and the four caught in the avalanche were swept approximately 450m down a Tunnel Creek Canyon chute.

Rescue teams who initially attended the scene of the tragedy, could not find any signs of the group of 12 at first and thought all had perished in the avalanche.

The general manager of the ski area, John Gifford, told reporters that in the 24 hours prior to the avalanche, 48cms of snow had fallen. He added that the Tunnel Creek Canyon was popular with backcountry skiers and was easily reached from Stevens Pass.