CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, Wash. (AP) -- A skier was killed Saturday afternoon when he was buried in an avalanche in an out-of-bounds area at the Crystal Mountain ski resort near Seattle.

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Ski area spokeswoman Tiana Enger says the avalanche occurred about 3 o'clock when the victim and a male companion were in an area that was roped off and marked as permanently closed to skiing.

The area is on the back side of the resort and actually within the boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. The ski area is just east of the park.

Enger says the victim was wearing a transponder, which helped rescuers narrow the search, but he was unconscious and not breathing and could not be revived. The second skier was not hurt.

Names, ages, hometowns and other details about the two skiers are not immediately available.