Update: On Saturday afternoon the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office identified the skier caught in the slide as Aaron Griffith.
A backcountry skier from Bend was killed Thursday after being caught up in an avalanche at Black Crater west of Sisters, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
DCSO said one skier called 911 and said he and his friend were skiing in the caldera at Black Crater when the avalanche was triggered. The caller said his friend, identified as a 46-year-old Bend man, was caught up in the avalanche and he could no longer see them.
Both skiers had backcountry safety equipment. DCSO said the skier, who has not been identified, was able to find the Bend man using his avalanche beacon.
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Lifesaving efforts were tried, but the Bend man died, DCSO said.
DCSO search and rescue and US Forest Service were able to bring the surviving skier to safety. But due to extreme avalanche danger and darkness, search and rescue halted the recovery effort for the deceased skier until Friday.
As of Friday afternoon, DCSO said the effort to recover that skier was ongoing.
The Central Oregon Avalanche Center posted on Facebook that it will be conducting an Avalanche Accident Report.
Black Crater is a steep-sided shield volcano in the Cascade Range, located north of the Three Sisters and east of McKenzie Pass.
