‘In shock’: None hurt as another avalanche hits Palisades Tahoe, 1 day after deadly snowslide, resort says

Officials reported an avalanche on the Alpine Meadows side of Palisades Tahoe on Thursday afternoon, just one day after an avalanche killed one man and injured three others on the other mountain of the popular Sierra Nevada ski resort.

The snowslide happened near Wolverine Bowl at about 12:30 p.m., Palisades Tahoe spokesman Patrick Lacey wrote in an email. No one was injured following a search that involved dogs, beacons and probes.

Ski patrols had conducted avalanche hazard mitigation prior to opening that area, but immediately closed the Summit Express lift due to Thursday’s incident, Lacey wrote.

The lift was reopened after the search was complete, Lacey said.

“Ski Patrol conducted avalanche hazard mitigation prior to opening the ski area, including shots from a 105mm howitzer and ski cutting through the area,” Lacey wrote Thursday, referring to cannons used for avalanche control. “We also did avalanche mitigation work on the entire resort.”

Wednesday’s avalanche struck Palisades Tahoe on the Palisades side of the ski resort around 9:30 a.m. It killed 66-year-old California resident Kenneth Kidd and injured three others with non-life threatening injuries on KT-22, an expert-level slope.

The ski resort reopened Thursday morning, though the KT-22 lift remained closed and openings of other lifts were delayed.

A debris field — which Placer County sheriff’s deputies said was 150 feet wide, 450 feet long and 10 feet deep — spread just 30 minutes after KT-22 opened Wednesday morning for the first time in the 2023-24 ski season.

Michael Gross, the vice president of mountain operations for Palisades Tahoe, said there were four total people that were extracted from Wednesday’s avalanche.

“There were two people that were caught (in the snowslide) and two people that were buried,” Gross said during a Wednesday news conference. He said one of the persons who was buried was believed to have been extracted by her skiing partner, and the other was “assisted by some other guests.”

‘We’re all in shock’

Craig Hamilton spotted Thursday’s avalanche a mere 30 minutes after skiing down Wolverine Bowl.

The Olympic Valley resident, sitting on lift Summit Express, said he noticed a debris field and began pointing out piles of snow to his friend. It was the second reported avalanche at Palisades Tahoe.

“Nobody could believe it,” Hamilton said, while adding many fellow adventure seekers were on edge after Wednesday’s incident. “It’s kind of like shock — we’re all in shock up here.”

Hamilton and others made their way to Wolverine Bowl and asked if they could help. About 50 of them worked with probe poles to search deep snow for missing people, he said.

The second slide in two days has made Hamilton more careful he said — he will carry an avalanche beacon and avoid steeper pitches are certain times.

But he still remains upbeat about shredding through fresh powder.

“I don’t know if I will ski less,” Hamilton added. “I probably won’t.”

More heavy snow expected this weekend

The second reported avalanche to hit Palisades Tahoe’s Alpine Meadows unfolded as snow continues to fall in the region.

By 11:15 a.m., Alpine Meadows had seen 14 inches of snow in 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service’s Reno station.

Late Thursday into Friday morning, Alpine Meadows is forecast to experience gusts ranging from 30 to 45 mph with temperatures hovering around 14 degrees, the weather service said.

There’s a 30% chance of snow after 4 p.m., with an increasing likelihood after 7 p.m. Friday, the weather service said. Fresh powder could tally 1 to 3 inches with a 60% chance of precipitation at night.

But throughout Saturday, snow intensity is set to increase with strong gales up to 60 mph buffeting Alpine Meadows, weather officials said.

It’s a 100% chance of precipitation, with snow expected to pile between 10 and 16 inches, the weather service added.

“The snow could be heavy at times,” NWS Reno wrote.

Powder will continue to fall through Saturday night, with lows reaching around 25 degrees and wind as high as 70 mph, the weather service said. Overnight, 3 to 5 inches of snow are predicted.

The heavy storm predictions are prompted the weather service to declare a winter storm warning, in place from 7 p.m. Friday through 4 a.m. Sunday across the western slope of most of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

By Sunday, there’s a 30% chance of snow before 10 a.m. with “little or no” powder expected after, the weather service said. It will be mostly sunny, with a high temperature of 32 degrees.