Three skiers have died in avalanches in Oregon and California, including a couple who founded a travel company. Terrance 'Terry' Olaf Skjersaa, 57, and his wife Susan Renee Skjerssa, 52, from Bend, Oregon, were killed on Monday while backcountry skiing in the Central Cascade Mountains.
The couple were buried by a large avalanche at 6,700ft on a south-facing slope in Happy Valley, Oregon. Their bodies were found just before midnight by friends after they failed to return home. The Central Oregon Avalanche Center said the couple are believed to have triggered the avalanche themselves.
On the same day, Frederic Dross, 46, from South Lake Tahoe, died in an avalanche near Powderhouse Peak in California. He was reported missing after failing to return from a backcountry ski trip. His body was found by friends shortly after 4pm, but due to dangerous snow conditions, he could not be recovered until Tuesday morning. The cause of that avalanche is unknown.
Terry and Susan were well-known in the skiing community. Terry's grandparents opened the first ski shop in Bend in 1939, and he later became a principal broker at Skjersaa Group, a realty firm. The couple leave behind two daughters, Ellie and Jade.
Frederic Dross is remembered as a 'tireless solar warrior' and a loving husband and father to two young daughters. A GoFundMe page has been set up in his memory.
