Everett man dies after falling off Mount Pilchuck

A 19-year-old Everett man died yesterday after he apparently fell off the north face of Mount Pilchuck, near Granite Falls.

The man and his friends had apparently gone for a day hike in snowy terrain when the man slipped and fell about 1,000 feet. The man, who was wearing tennis shoes, was only about 300 yards from a popular mountain lookout area, said Snohomish County sheriff's spokesman Rich Niebusch.

"We found grab marks, he hit a rock on his way down and hit a tree," said Niebusch.

A 15-year-old boy at the lookout heard the man screaming as he fell, and the boy called his mother on his cell phone, said Niebusch. The Arlington woman called 911 at 4:02 p.m.

Crews didn't reach the man's body until about 10 p.m., said Niebusch.

"Because of the early thaw there are low levels of snow, which can be inviting," said Niebusch. "But there are dangers associated with that and that's why we're seeing these slip accidents."

As temperatures rise, search and rescue crews are still recommending that snow hikers carry snow shoes, an ice ax and crampons with them in slushy terrain, Niebsuch said.