Skier Buried by Avalanche in Sierra Dies After Friends’ Rescue Efforts Fail
A 22-year-old New York state man was killed Wednesday by an avalanche in the back country above Donner Ski Ranch in the Sierra Nevada.
The victim was one of four people who had been cross-country skiing in the area near Donner Pass Road, Placer County sheriff’s officials said.
The man was taken to Tahoe Forest Hospital, where he died shortly after 2 p.m. His identity was being withheld pending the notification of relatives.
The man’s friends had tried to dig him out, and used a cellular telephone to summon help when that attempt failed, Placer County Sheriff Edward Bonner said. The skier apparently was under the snow for about 55 minutes, he said.
Bonner said the man had a faint pulse when he was pulled from the snow, but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Bonner described the avalanche as small. Officials said the slide happened across the street from the Donner Ski Ranch, above a popular ski resort called Sugar Bowl.
Avalanches are not uncommon in the Sierra, the region where the ill-fated Donner Party was trapped in the winter of 1846.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
