Avalanche kills 1, hurts 3 at CA’s Palisades Tahoe ski resort as powerful storm moves in

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — A person was killed and three were injured when an avalanche roared through a section of expert trails at Palisades Tahoe ski resort in California on Wednesday, authorities said.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as 66-year-old Kenneth Kidd of Point Reyes and the Truckee area.

“I’m a little shaken up about it, it’s just weird living across from an area where you know something bad just happened – a tragedy,” said Roy Buckton who lives nearby.

“Our heart felt condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Kidd,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

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 prompted Palisades Tahoe to close 30 minutes after it opened and search crews combed the area to see if anyone was injured or trapped.

Some community members say they can’t believe it came to this.

“I’m surprised they had it opened just given the variable conditions,” says Buckton.

“Were you surprised that it was open?” we asked another community member.

“Yes I was, I thought it would be closed with all the wind and the unstable surface,” said Norm Kitching who lives nearby.

But those from Palisades Tahoe say they had been involved in avalanche control assessment since Sunday.

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 say the search has concluded.

VIDEO: Santa Cruz man misses Palisades Tahoe avalanche by minutes, helps skiers navigate

Just after 3 p.m. Pacific Time, the resort updated the number of injured from one to three.

“Three other skiers sustained non-life threatening injuries, and were released after initial treatment,” Palisades Tahoe wrote in a statement.

Wednesday’s death at Palisades Tahoe is the first U.S. avalanche fatality of the 2023-2024 winter season, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

VIDEO: Officials give update on deadly avalanche at Palisades Tahoe ski resort as search concludes

The avalanche happened as major storm with snow and gusty winds moved into the region.

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 of snow to the highest elevations by early Thursday.

Palisades Tahoe changed its name from Squaw Valley in 2021, a year after the famed resort announced it would jettison its old name.

Palisades is a sister resort of Alpine, formerly known as Alpine Meadows, which had one of the worst avalanches in California history in 1982, where seven people were killed.

Palisades Tahoe wrote in a statement:

“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 cause of the avalanche is under investigation. For more information, please contact Placer County Sheriff’s Office.”

Associated Press contributed to this report.