RENO — One person was killed and another injured when an avalanche occurred Wednesday on a slope for expert skiers at a ski resort near Lake Tahoe, California, as a strong storm packing snow and gusty winds moved into the region, authorities said. authorities.
The avalanche forced the Palisades Tahoe station to close about 30 minutes after it opened, and rescue crews combed the area for anyone injured or trapped.
Sergeant David Smith, a Placer County Sheriff’s spokesman, said hours later that one man died and another person suffered non-life-threatening injuries. He indicated that there are no missing persons.
The avalanche occurred around 9:30 a.m. on the steep slopes under the K-22 chairlift, which serve as “black diamond” slopes for expert skiers and snowboarders. Palisades Tahoe said in a statement on X that both sides of the mountain at the resort would be closed for the rest of the day.
The debris from the avalanche covered an area about 46 meters (150 feet) wide, 137 meters (450 feet) long and 3 meters (10 feet) deep, the commissioner’s office said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time,” the commissioner’s office said in a statement.
The avalanche came as a strong storm is expected to dump up to 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow at higher elevations by early Thursday.
Palisades, site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, is located on the western side of Lake Tahoe, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Reno, Nevada. The National Weather Service in Reno said 2 inches (5 centimeters) could fall Wednesday around the lake.
Source: With information from AP
