Mount Washington avalanche danger increases after death

MOUNT WASHINGTON, N.H. (AP) — Authorities warn that the possibility of further avalanches is increasing a day after a skier died on the Northeast’s highest mountain.

A spokesman for the White Mountain National Forest says a man skiing alone in an area called Raymond Cataract on New Hampshire’s Mount Washington was buried under about 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow for an hour Thursday afternoon before rescuers dug him out.

The Mount Washington Avalanche Center’s forecast for Friday says human-triggered avalanches remain possible as slabs of snow formed by wind warm up and weaken. It warned skiers that if they find themselves sinking into mushy, wet snow, it’s time to get off the slope.

At 6,288 feet (1,916 meters) tall, Mount Washington is notorious for its bad weather.