A couple in Central Oregon was found dead after being caught in an avalanche while skiing the day after another person was killed in a separate avalanche in California. "I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of the couple who lost their lives in the avalanche while enjoying the Central Oregon backcountry,

Three people died in avalanches Monday — one person near Lake Tahoe in California and two backcountry skiers in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. The avalanche danger was elevated for most of Colorado’s mountains earlier this week but conditions have improved somewhat in some areas.

A growing number of skiers, weary of high prices and long lift lines at crowded resorts, are turning to the solitude of backcountry slopes. But the avalanche dangers are real, and skiers should go in prepared.

A Mammoth Mountain ski patrol employee has died after sustaining serious injuries last week from an avalanche.