Missing Crystal Mountain skier found alive nearly 24 hours later

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, Wash. -- A missing skier was found alive the day after going missing on Crystal Mountain.

Officials said the Seattle man in his 50s was reported missing around 3:30 p.m. Sunday. He was skiing with his son and his friends when he left the group to take a run down expert terrain off chair 6.

Rescuers searched for the man on snowmobiles until 10 p.m. They resumed the search Monday morning at dawn.

The man apparently skied out of the resort boundary and into Mt. Rainier National Park. He found his way to a closed section of SR 410 where he was able to send a text message to his wife.

Ski Patrol found the man around 11:30 a.m. and took him back to the resort to be reunited with his family.