A backcountry skier missing since Sunday has still not been located. Extreme avalanche danger in Palmer's Hatcher Pass area, where Liam Walsh was thought to have gone skiing, has blocked search efforts.
Allie Barker is a weather forecaster with the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Warning Center. She accompanied an Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Mountain Rescue team on a search attempt Wednesday
"We flew up to assess the terrain to see if it would be safe to bring up a rescue team and were turned around by weather."
The helicopter crew made the attempt around 1 p.m. Wednesday. Barker says weather conditions are deteriorating rapidly. The National Weather Service has forecast heavy rains for Southcentral tonight.
Barker says Tuesday's avalanche, which blocked Hatcher Pass Road, has not been cleared, and it is expected the road will remain closed for days.