2 Snowboarders Trapped on a Cliff Cause Washington I-90 to Close
Crews had to close 2 lanes of I-90 for around an hour in the attempted rescue of 2 trapped snowboarders.
Washington State Patrol Closes I-90 in Rescue Along the Highway
On Tuesday evening, the Washington State Patrol got reports of two snowboarders who were lost in the backwoods above a stretch of I-90 and trapped on a cliff. Two highway lanes were temporarily closed while crews of local authorities tried to find and rescue the missing snowboarders. The Washington State Patrol worked with WSDOT and King County Search and Rescue to close I-90 and then started the steep climb up the nearby cliffside to find them.
I-90 Traffic Waits While the 2 Snowboarders Were Located
A video posted by the Washington State Patrol shows multiple Search and Rescue officers in snow shoes climbing up in the dark to locate the trapt snowboarders. The King County Search and Rescue was able to find and rescue the snowboarders from the cliff and luckily both were rescued safe and sound. During the rescue, two lanes of eastbound I-90 were closed for 45-60 minutes as traffic waited in the falling snow. The reports do not say how long the snowboarders were trapped on the cliff, how they called for help, or why they were trapped there in the first place. At around 10:45 pm, the Washington State Patrol posted another video where you can see at least one snowboarder being walked down the hill by Search and Rescue. See the videos and all the released photos from the rescue posted directly below.