The monk was a caretaker at the Tiger's Lair, a sacred cave shrine perched high on the cliff-face of a granite mountain.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia

Set on the vertiginous site of a granite mountain sculpted by erosion and dominating a meander in the Rio Urubamba, Machu Picchu is a world renowned archaeological site.

UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES

He was with two other companions Saturday afternoon when an avalanche swept them more than 1, 200 feet down Granite Mountain, a 5, 600-foot peak about 45 miles east of Seattle.

NPR: Wash. Searchers Wait To Seek Avalanche Victim

Heavy snow fell in the Cascade Mountains and the avalanches hit near Snoqualmie Pass, one on Granite Mountain and the other on Red Mountain near the Alpental ski area, CNN affiliate KOMO said.

CNN: Woman killed, man missing in Washington state avalanches