That is terrible news. Where exactly is rat trap?
FYI - I later discovered where rat trap is from the comments in the Seattle Times article:
If you're going up chair one, Rat Trap is off to the left between some of the cliffs. It is unmarked, and you have to go under a rope line to get to it. It's in the same area as Dolphies and Hairy Scary (also unmarked). I've skied in this area; it can be a little treacherous depending on conditions.
If it is where I think it is, it can get pretty sketchy due to ice - I saw lots of people sliding through it this weekend. Not the best approach into the chute under Chair one with the current snow conditions - but I can see how someone can easily end up there if they don't know the mountain very well. The first half of the run is fun and usually has powder but eventually you must enter the chute. The multiple entrances into the chute, especially the "rat trap", get skied out and iced up quickly because the snow gets pushed off and it doesn't get any sun. According to the Bellingham paper, he took his skies off to hike down and slipped, fell 50 feet and hit a tree.
www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/801356.html
