Skier found dead after avalanche on Washington state mountain

April 12 (Reuters) - The body of a cross-country skier has been discovered in the debris field of an avalanche on a Washington state mountain, a spokeswoman for the local sheriff's office said on Wednesday. The deceased 36-year-old man was found by search and rescue crews on Tuesday evening near Snoqualmie Pass on Red Mountain, some 50 miles (80 km) east of Seattle, said Sergeant Cindi West of the King County Sheriff's Office. Rescuers began looking for him on Tuesday afternoon after a friend said he had not returned from a solo cross-country ski trip on the mountain. The deceased victim was wearing his hiking boots, with skis still in his pack, the King County Sheriff's Office said in a written statement. His car was found in a parking lot near where he was planning to ski, with a dog inside. The sheriff's office said the man had died from apparent injuries suffered in the avalanche. An autopsy was scheduled to verify his identity and cause of death. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Bill Rigby)