In what was supposed to be a terrific day at Palisades Tahoe due to the opening of the famed KT-22 area, turned into a tragic one with a person dying in an avalanche Wednesday morning.
According to Michael Steinberg, a storm chaser for Live Storms Media, the avalanche has resulted in at least one death.
Steinberg arrived at Palisades Tahoe to document the avalanche and says he spoke to a public information officer at the resort. At least one other person reportedly had suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Overall, four people were safely rescued.
“The entire Palisades Tahoe team, including all of the first responders, extend their deepest sympathies to the family and friends of those involved in the incident,” the ski resort said.
An avalanche sent an explosion of snow down a mountainside at Palisades Tahoe around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to a statement from the ski resort on social media.
The avalanche occurred above the GS gully area of KT-22,” the resort said. A patrol team was on the mountain and quickly began searching for anyone who may have gotten trapped by the avalanche.
The cause of the avalanche remains under investigation.
Prior to the death Wednesday, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, there had been no avalanche deaths in the U.S. this season. There were reportedly 30 deaths due to avalanches last season (2022-2023).
Placer County sheriff’s officials said Wednesday that the debris field left in the wake of the deadly avalanche at Palisades Tahoe was “approximately 150 feet wide, 450 feet long and 10 feet deep.”
The cause of the avalanche is under investigation, officials said. Michael Gross, vice president of mountain operations, said ski patrols had been on the slopes checking the avalanche conditions since Sunday.
“They’ve been up there doing control work, evaluating weather conditions, setting up all safety markings, hazard markings, etc., to get them prepared for today’s opening,” Gross told reporters at a news conference
There was reportedly a high risk of avalanche danger in the Tahoe region Wednesday and Thursday, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center, which predicts that avalanches will occur “in a variety of areas by this afternoon.”
At least two avalanche-related deaths occurred at Palisades in the past decade.
“Our Patrol and mountain operations teams are performing a search at this time. Both sides of our mountain will be closed for the day,” Palisades Tahoe said on social media. “Our Patrol and mountain operations teams are performing a search at this time. Both sides of our mountain will be closed for the day.”
Around 10:45 a.m., the resort announced that operations at Palisades Tahoe and the Alpine side of the mountain were closed for the day.
The National Weather Service had issued a Winter Storm Warning on Wednesday for the greater Lake Tahoe area, with 12-18 inches of snow expected for Lake Tahoe communities and 18-24 inches above 7,000 feet. The warning remains in effect through early Thursday.
Palisades Tahoe received 8 inches of new snow a week ago and was reporting 17 more inches Sunday from the largest snowfall of the 2023-24 season.
Around noon today, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced the state was monitoring and ready to assist with the avalanche at Palisades Tahoe, with Cal Fire moving resources and personnel to help with rescue efforts.
FOUR PEOPLE RESCUED: According to Michael Gross, vice president of mountain operations for Palisades, four people were rescued from the avalanche.
Two people trapped in the slide were rescued by civilians – one woman who was pulled out by her partner and another person who was helped by fellow skiers, Gross said in an afternoon press conference. Both people suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
OPENING DAY FOR KT-22: It was the first day that Palisades Tahoe had opened the popular KT-22 chairlift this season. Skiers and snowboarders went quickly to the chairlift as soon as the resort opened. The area is known as an expert-only place to ski or ride.
KT-22 takes skiers and riders to the top of a peak whose 2,000 vertical feet of slopes draw professional skiers from around the world. The lift offers access to expert terrain in a mix of wide-open bowls, steep chutes and cliffs. The KT-22 area has been called “greatest expert lift in North America” by Powder Magazine.
