The authorities identified on Wednesday a couple killed in an avalanche in the center of Oregon.
Tence Olaf Skjersaa, 57, and Susan Renee Skjersaa, 52, were from Bend, Oregon, about 140 miles east of Eugene, said the Office of the Sheriff of the County of Deshutes.
The Sheriff’s office said he responded on Monday to the reports of the field skiers who were buried under the snow in an avalanche in a commonly known area as “Happy Valley.”
The friends reported that the couple disappeared and began looking for them on Monday night, after they could not return from their departure, said the Sheriff’s office. Just before midnight, friends found the couple buried in the snow. Both were dead.
The sheriff’s office said the avalanche probably occurred several hours before the couple was found.
Both bodies were recovered by search and rescue teams deployed by the Sheriff’s office, who also investigated the scene.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of the couple who lost his life in the avalanche while enjoying Oregon’s central field,” said Sheriff Kent van der Kamp in a statement on Tuesday. “Their long history in our community and the lives they touched are a testimony of the spirit and the resistance that make central oregon such a special place to live.”
The Sheriff’s office warned that the danger of avalanche in the area, known as the central waterfalls, is “moderate to considerable” and said that the public should “use extreme caution when recreating in the area.”
CORRECTION (February 19, 2025, 8:45 pm et): an earlier version of this article indicated the BLSE, the location of Oregon. It is about 140 miles east of Eugene, no 140 miles to the west.
