Oregon couple skiing together killed in avalanche
Deschutes County search and rescue team. (Photo credit: Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office)
A couple skiing together in Oregon on Monday was killed when an avalanche buried them in an area west of Bend, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.
The avalanche happened between the Bend Watershed and Broken Tip in a location called Happy Valley, Central Oregon Avalanche Center said.
"The avalanche occurred at 6,700 feet on a south slope. The avalanche's crown height averaged 17.7 inches, and the avalanche ran 320 vertical feet into a tight clump of trees."
Deschutes County Sheriff Kent van Kamp said authorities were able to locate the bodies of the victims by midday on Tuesday after they received a call overnight about the avalanche.
"Their friends were able to use an app like a phone app located to the last ping of their friend's phone," van Kamp said. "They started searching the avalanche debris field and located what they believed was basically a limb of one of their friends coming out of the snow.
The sheriff's office identified the couple in a statement Wednesday as Terance Olaf Skjersaa, 57, and Susan Renee Skjersaa, 52.
"We extend our deepest condolences to all who loved the couple who tragically lost their lives while doing what they loved," van Kamp said in a statement. "As longtime residents of Central Oregon, they have touched many lives, and their legacy will continue to live on in our community."
In a separate report, the Avalanche Center said, "It is likely that the riders triggered the avalanche themselves."
GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
•Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+
The sheriff's office warned that avalanche danger in the central Cascades area is moderate to considerable. They urged skiers, boarders and snowmobilers to use extreme caution and to check the forecast before heading out.
In one of the more active weather patterns of the winter, a series of storms will roll across the northern Pacific and into the northwestern United States and southern British Columbia, Canada, into early next week. The cumulative nature of the storms can pack a punch in terms of rain and high country snow, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
Report a Typo
