The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said late Saturday afternoon it had called off the search for a skier caught in an avalanche at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe. The search will resume Sunday morning.
The incident took place when two skiers went into a closed area of the Jackpot Chute. One skier witnessed the other one getting caught in an avalanche and reported it Saturday at 10:18 a.m., said Mt. Rose spokesman Mike Pierce. According to Piece, the missing skier doesn’t have any safety gear, including a shovel, beacon or probe. Pierce said there was about 16 inches of snow accumulation Saturday at the resort of Mt. Rose Highway near North Lake Tahoe.
Search dogs along with crews from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, North Lake Tahoe Fire Department and Mt. Rose Ski Patrol began looking for the missing skier. However, the searchers were called back as a safety precaution around 2 p.m. so Mt. Rose personnel could perform some additional avalanche mitigation.
According to Washoe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Bob Harmon, the 60-year-old skier was in a closed area during avalanche conditions.
“They definitely had to hike up the traverse to get to this closed area,” Pierce told the Reno Gazette newspaper. “So yeah, it’s one of those things where in general there’s a reason those areas are closed.”
According to the Sierra Avalanche Center, there was a considerable avalanche danger that could exist Saturday at Mt. Rose due to wind slabs and persistent slab avalanches. Pierce confirmed that the incident was a slab avalanche. But the cause for now is being listed as “undetermined.” Pierce said the crown was between 2 and 4 feet.
Tough day for Lake Tahoe ski resorts
It was a difficult day for many Lake Tahoe area ski resorts, not just Mt. Rose. In the Sierra, wind, rain and snow has been severe enough to lead to the closure of Sugar Bowl and nearby Royal Gorge cross country ski area near Donner Summit. Sugar Bowl closed shortly before 1 p.m. because of “extreme weather.”
By late morning, Heavenly Mountain announced that its gondola and all its lifts with the exception of Stagecoach Express would close for the day because of high winds. Heavenly reported winds of up to 60 mph at the top of the gondola. Both Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows closed their upper mountain because of heavy snow overnight and severe wind.
The National Weather Service has extended a flood advisory until 4:45 p.m. today for several Northern California counties, including Placer, El Dorado, Sierra and Nevada. The weather service warns of rapidly rising waters, with an expectation that rivers, creeks and streams will begin receding this evening.
