MOUNT VERNON — Winter has been under way for only a week and already it has affected those who choose to venture outdoors for recreation.

Sudden and unpredictable weather shifts have turned seemingly perfect environments into treacherous going.

“For the next two days at least, I would stay out of avalanche prone areas,” said Mark Moore of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center. “The conditions we have now in the mountains is very reminiscent to those in 2007 where we had five avalanche fatalities. It’s a very similar snowpack.”Read The Full Story