OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — A person was killed and another was injured when an avalanche roared through a section of expert trails at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, 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.
The mountain was closed for the day.
Formerly known as Squaw Valley, Palisades is on the western side of Lake Tahoe, about 40 miles from Reno, Nevada. The resort was host site for the 1960 winter Olympics.
Winds gusted in excess of 100 mph over ridgetops around Lake Tahoe late Tuesday ahead of a powerful storm expected to bring as much as 2 feet (61 cm) of snow to the highest elevations by early Thursday. The National Weather Service in Reno said 2 inches could fall per hour Wednesday around the lake.
A 110 mph gust was recorded Tuesday afternoon at the summit of Alpine Meadows, the neighboring sister resort of Palisades south of Truckee, California, the service said.
