OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. — A person was killed and another was injured Wednesday when an avalanche roared through a section of expert trails at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe, authorities said.
The avalanche prompted Palisades Tahoe to close 30 minutes after it opened and search crews combed the area to see if anyone was injured or trapped.
Sgt. David Smith, a spokesperson for the Placer County sheriff, said hours later that a male victim died and other male sustained non-life-threatening injuries. He said nobody else was missing.
Authorities planned to provide more details at an afternoon news conference
The avalanche occurred around 9:30 a.m. on steep slopes under the KT-22 lift, which serves “black diamond” runs for skilled skiers and snowboarders.
It happened as major storm with snow and gusty winds moved into the region.
At approximately 9:30am today at Palisades Tahoe, an avalanche occurred on the Palisades side, specifically above the GS gully area of KT-22. Our Patrol and mountain operations teams are performing a search at this time. Both sides of our mountain will be closed for the day. pic.twitter.com/SpvwoUAsn9
— Palisades Tahoe (@palisadestahoe) January 10, 2024
