Seattle skier disappeared

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King County sheriff's deputy Ed Christian, who is the incident commander at the scene, said the search effort for the 40-year-old Monika Johnson of Seattle is now a recovery operation.

Officials said Johnson skied in the area every Tuesday, and a helicopter search team spotted some of her gear near a ledge off the backside of Red Mountain Wednesday afternoon. "They found her backpack and her skis," Christian said. "There was a cornice right there that had broken off, and we saw footprints that went to the cornice. It's at least 600 feet down to the bottom."

Officials believe the woman fell and was buried in the snow when the cornice gave way.

The search was suspended Tuesday night due to darkness, but Christian said they hope to have 40 searchers back out on the mountain Wednesday morning and an avalanche dog team.
Johnson was an avid skier and a physical therapist with Virginia Mason.