OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
4:28 PM – Wednesday, January 10, 2024
One person has reportedly died and another has been severely injured after an avalanche came down at the ski resort Palisades Tahoe in Olympic Valley, California.
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On Wednesday morning, authorities announced that a powerful, snowy storm with strong winds shifted into the area. Suddenly, an avalanche tore through an area of expert-level trails at a California ski resort close to Lake Tahoe, killing one person and injuring another.
Thirty minutes after the ski resort opened to the public, Palisades Tahoe was forced to close due to the avalanche. Rescue teams searched the area to determine whether anyone had been hurt or trapped.
Hours later, Placer County Sheriff spokesperson Sgt. David Smith announced that “one male individual had died” and another person “had non-life-threatening injuries.” Smith did not report whether the injured person was male or female and he did not disclose either one of their names.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. PST on steep ski slopes near the KT-22 lift, which is a “black diamond” run.
“The avalanche caused one fatality and one injury,” the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said in an update shortly after the avalanche occurred.
“The avalanche caused one fatality and one injury. Our thoughts and prayers are with their family members at this difficult time. No further missing persons have been reported. More than 100 Palisades personnel participated in a beacon search, and two probe lines have been completed…”
Palisades Tahoe announced the tragic news in a statement on X, saying that all slopes on the mountain at the resort would be blocked off for the remainder of the day.
According to the Sierra Avalanche Center, there was a high likelihood of risk regarding a “possible avalanche” on Wednesday, as weather reports indicated the chance of a powerful winter storm coming into the area.
On Tuesday, wind storms had reached 100 mph on the peaks near Lake Tahoe as a strong storm moving to that area was estimated to pour as much as 2-feet of snow at high elevations by Thursday.
The National Weather Service also announced that two inches of snow could possibly come down each hour in areas near the well-known ski resort.
The resort previously hosted the Winter Olympics in 1960.
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