Experienced Backcountry Skier Missing Since December 19, 2015 Near Snoqualmie Pass
Backcountry skier Monty Busbee, 43, of Maple Valley, has been missing near Washington’s Snoqualmie Pass since December 19, 2015. An experienced backcountry skier, Busbee parked his truck at Lower Summit West parking lot with the intention of going to ski Commonwealth Basin and Kendall Tree area.
The King County Sheriff’s Office was notified that Busbee had not returned on Saturday evening. Ski Patrol Avalanche Rescue Team (SPART) searched for Busbee late into Saturday night with no luck. Heavy snowfall and high avalanche conditions did not help their search. On Sunday, 12/20, King County Search and Rescue and SPART continued the search, but the Sheriff’s Office suspended the search due to continuing snowfall and High avalanche danger.
Busbee is known for carrying a beacon and necessary supplies. The search for Busbee on Snoqualmie Pass will continue on Monday morning if conditions allow. Cross your fingers that SAR will find Busbee near Snoqualmie Pass soon.
Snoqualmie Pass is a mountain pass east of Seattle on I-90. The pass sits at 3,015′ in the Cascade Range of Washington. It’s a popular destination for backcountry skiers. View photos of this area and its ski terrain at Turns-All-Year.com.
This is the second backcountry skier to go missing in the mountains this winter. There is also a backcountry skier missing on Hatcher Pass in Alaska who is now presumed dead.
We will update this post as more information becomes available.
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