3 dead in Wash. avalanche STEVENS PASS, Wash., Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Three experience backcountry skiers were killed Sunday in an avalanche near Stevens Pass, Wash., police said. Sgt. Cindi West of the King County Sheriff's Office said search-and-rescue personnel were on the scene of the Stevens Pass incident near Highway 2, which was closed temporarily. Eight people initially reported missing were all accounted for, Sgt. Katy Larson said. The three skiers killed were all men between 30 and 40 years old and had appropriate avalanche equipment.