HEARTBREAKING footage has been released after skiers desperately tried to save a man buried beneath several feet of snow after an avalanche on Wednesday.
While skiers were enjoying the frosted slopes at the Palisades Tahoe resort in California, about 40 miles southwest of Reno, Nevada, a snow layer hanging on the mountains broke free.
A storm with high winds reportedly blew in the area at around 9:30 am and initiated the avalanche around one of the resort's expert trails, per Los Angeles ABC affiliate KABC.
It was predicted that winds could reach nearly 100 miles per hour at the top of ridge points.
At the time of the avalanche, wind gusts were only 30 to 38 miles at around 8,000 feet of elevation but were seemingly enough to initiate the event.
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Those specifically affected were in the "black diamond" area for advanced skiers and snowboarders, and several were on the KT-22 run, which had just opened for the season that day.
Some were able to avoid disaster as the deadly avalanche raced down the resort — but the aftermath resulted in one significant injury and the tragic fatality of a 66-year-old San Francisco resident, according to a statement from the Placer County Sheriff's Office.
"The avalanche caused one fatality and one injury," cops said.
"No further missing persons have been reported."
Authorities mentioned the injuries of three other Australian skiers who were later released from the hospital after their wounds were treated.
They would not specify two of the Australian skiers' injuries but said the third had wounds to one of their lower legs.
Two others were also partly caught in the avalanche but were quickly helped out of harm's way by other skiers, according to what resort staff told Daily Mail.
Police also said the avalanche spread 450 feet in length and was at least 10 feet deep.
A video of the aftermath saw groups of skiers frantically searching for the San Francisco man, later identified as Kenneth Kidd, under the snow after it had settled.
Some were on their hands and knees digging, while others used their poles to try and dig faster in the surrounding area.
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They were seemingly unable to reach Kidd in time.
It was marked as the first death caused by an avalanche in 2024 by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
Mark Sponsler, a weatherman who happened to be staying at the resort at the time, took to Instagram to provide more details about the avalanche.
According to him, the first group of skiers who got off the lift may have triggered the avalanche by accident.
"Apparently the first group of skiers up the lift skied down in the bowl under the lift, triggering a massive avalanche that spanned the width of the entire bowl," Sponsler wrote.
California Governor Gavin Newsom also issued a statement about the avalanche shortly after the news broke on Wednesday.
"The state is monitoring and standing by to assist with the avalanche reported at Palisades in Tahoe," Newsom noted in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
"Cal Fire is moving resources and personnel to help with rescue efforts and will continue close coordination."
Other skiing-based publications like Ski Magazine stressed that the avalanche was a stark warning about the dangers to be aware of, even in conditions where snow is relatively low.
"While we associate avalanche risk with heavy snow and variable temperatures, this is a good reminder that low-snow conditions can also lead to dangerous situations," they said on Wednesday.
"Palisades Tahoe is currently reporting a 50-inch base amid continuing snowstorm and gusty winds."
Dan Lavely, a Reno resident and season pass holder at the Palisades Tahoe resort, said that the KT-22 run is particularly steep and was where the giant slalom took place in the 1960 Winter Olympics.
"Really good skiers love it because it’s really steep," he told Daily Mail.
"I remember when I was really young I was skiing around there. I fell over and slid like two-thirds of the way down the mountain."
"There was no way to stop because it’s just so steep."
Lavely said he skied mostly in the Alpine Meadows area, where in 2020, an avalanche left one dead and another injured.
Even so, the resort's deadliest avalanche came in March 1982, which resulted in the deaths of seven people, including a few employees.
