Did anyone die in the Tahoe Ski Resort avalanche? One victim rescued after being buried under snow

The Palisades Tahoe area was closed on Wednesday, January 10, due to a powerful avalanche. The Tahoe Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California, saw this happen as the snowbank collapsed, creating trouble for the visitors present there. Once the authorities were informed, rescue team members immediately reached the scene and began their operation.

Trigger Warning: This article contains details of an avalanche and a death which may be triggering for some. Reader discretion is advised.

According to outlets such as NBC News, the team has stated that one person has died and another has been injured. The deceased individual was identified as Kenneth Kidd, 66, of Point Reyes, in northern California, by the Placer County Sheriff's department. The Sheriff's department was in charge of the Lake Tahoe area. The identity of the injured skier is yet unknown, but nobody else is missing.

About four hours after the snow slide, the Placer County Sheriff's Office provided an official update,

"The avalanche caused one fatality and one injury."

According to Michael Gross, the vice president of mountain operations at Palisades Tahoe, both the deceased and the injured were out-of-area visitors.

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One person died in the Tahoe Ski Resort avalanche

The Placer County Sheriff's Office was working to keep the people safe (Image via Facebook / Placer County Sheriff's Office / Palisades Tahoe)

The avalanche took place on the Palisades side of the resort mountain at around 9:30 am local time, according to Palisades Tahoe. The sheriff's office reported that it was precisely above KT-22's GS bowl region. Further, according to NBC News, the avalanche claimed the life of one man and injured another.

Addressing the family of the deceased person, the Placer County Sheriff's Office stated,

"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Kidd”

Luckily, the other wounded individual had non-life-threatening wounds. According to the sheriff's office, no other people have been reported missing.

Furthermore, as per NBC News, all search operations have ended. The same source has also stated that "nobody else is up on the mountain as a result of the avalanche."

According to Gross, there were two more people caught in the snow. Authorities "extracted" one of them, while other guests "assisted" the other one.

Michael Gross went on to say that he did not know how far buried people were in the snow. Moreover, a witness to the incident saw numerous individuals buried. They further described the scene and requested assistance. As per NBC News, Darian Shirazi wrote on X:

“Multiple people were buried and several were screaming as all of the GS Bowl slid from top to bottom. My condolences to the family of the snowboarder who passed away. This was a shocking and terrifying experience. Ski safe.”

As per Gross, KT-22 commenced its season on Wednesday at 9 am. Ahead of the ski season, he said, the ski patrol has been "up there doing avalanche control assessments since Sunday," which involves assessing the weather and placing safety and hazard markers.

With winds reaching 110 mph, which is 177 kph, at the summit of Alpine Meadows, Palisades' sibling resort nearby, on Tuesday afternoon, January 9, weather experts declared the mountain closed for the day, after the accident.

On the other hand, a string of strong winter storms raced over areas of the eastern US and Canada. It killed at least five people and knocked out power to over half a million. Following the incident, a huge storm with snow and violent winds moved into the area.

The deceased people reportedly included one 81-year-old woman who died when her mobile home was thrown off its foundation close to Cottonwood, Alabama, a small city bordering Georgia and Florida.