The ski community is mourning the death of a Truckee skier yesterday at Palisades Tahoe due to an avalanche in the G.S. Bowl of KT-22.
First-hand perspective on the circumstances has been minimal, but some photos and videos of the frantic scenes are starting to emerge. Darian Shirazi, who’s the General Partner of Gradient Ventures, shared some photos from the harrowing morning. While he wasn’t caught in the slide, he witnessed the avalanche while riding on the KT-22 chairlift up the mountain yesterday. He then traveled down to help out with the rescue operation.
Dogs have a tremendous history of helping rescue people around Palisades Tahoe. In the brutal 1982 avalanche at Alpine Meadows, an avalanche dog discovered a person five days after the slide. According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, this was the first reported person rescued by a dog in an avalanche in North America.
So what are the major takeaways from this situation? I’ve p seen a few good ideas online. For one, bringing beacons and probes into steep inbounds terrain is a wise move, especially on powder days at Palisades Tahoe. In addition, the terrain at Palisades Tahoe is unforgiving, with a couple of inbounds avalanches happening over the years. Does this mean that areas like KT-22 should follow stingier rules to prevent inbound avalanches? Ski resorts like Big Sky require beacons on their gnarliest terrain, so it’s something for Palisades Tahoe to consider in the future.
Thank you to all the ski patrollers, dogs, and bystanders for helping out in this challenging situation.
Image/Video Credits: Darian Shirazi, Palisades Tahoe
