Lynnwood-area man disappears in avalanche on Rainier

Search crews are looking for a Lynnwood-area man who may have been buried in an avalanche on Mount Rainier.

On Tuesday morning, the 22-year-old Kirk Reiser and his best friend left Paradise to go on a day-trip on snowshoes to Camp Muir, which is about a five-mile hike, said Mount Rainier National Park spokesman Kevin Bacher. The two had to turn back about halfway there because of high winds and bad conditions.

One of the men triggered an avalanche at about 1:30 p.m., said Bacher, and then Reiser disappeared into the snow.

His hiking partner, 23-year-old Troy Metcalf, searched for him for hours but was unable to find him. Metcalf returned to Paradise at dusk and reported his friend's disappearance to park service rangers.

Based on his friend's descriptions, Reiser could be about one mile out of Paradise near Edith Creek Basin.

Rescuers set out at about 8 this morning, along with two avalanche search dogs. Bacher said the crew's goal is to pinpoint the location of the missing hiker and do as much searching as possible amid worsening weather conditions on the mountain.

"The extent to which we are able to search really depends on those conditions," said Bacher.

Bacher said a person buried in an avalanche has about a 30-minute survival window. After that, the chances of surviving are slim but not impossible, he said.

"One of the things that may increase the chances is that we don't know for sure that he was buried by an avalanche," said Bacher. "It is conceivable that they [the men] may have been swept apart."

Rescuers are hoping Reiser was able to make a snow cave to stay in overnight. He was equipped with food and water but was not carrying overnight supplies.

Christina Siderius: csiderius@seattletimes.com