MOUNT BAKER, Wash. - Whatcom County crews resumed their search Monday morning for a skier reported missing in the Mount Baker ski area Sunday afternoon.
The 54-year-old man from Coquitlam, British Columbia, was reportedly skiing while his wife was snow-shoeing near an area known as Artist Point. Bad weather prompted them to return back, said Deputy John Radicheck from the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office.
On their way back, the wife fell down a 20-ft. drop. She said she saw her husband 20 yards above her, but when she recovered and got back onto the route, she couldn't find him, said Radicheck. She returned to the ski area and reported him missing around 1 p.m.
About 20 searchers searched the route to Artist Point and the area around Bagley Lakes and the Swift Creek drainage. Heavy rain, wind and high avalanche danger in some spots made the search more difficult. The search was suspect around 11:30 p.m. Sunday.
The man is an experienced skiier, but has limited knowledge of Mount Baker's back country, said Radicheck.
