Aussie trio on US ski holiday are buried alive in a deadly avalanche – but miraculously survived

Three Australians were lucky to survive a massive avalanche at a California ski resort that left one man dead.

The avalanche at Palisades Tahoe, formerly known as Squaw Valley and the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, occurred Thursday morning Australian time.

Siblings Hannah Sugerman and Oliver Thompson were on the slopes with Ms Sugerman’s partner Callum when the trio were hit by the avalanche.

Ms. Sugerman did not hear the avalanche coming, but felt the ground roll beneath her, she said.

“The snow weighed much more than I ever imagined,” she told Nine.

The siblings were buried in the snow, with Mr Thompson saying the avalanche ‘pushed’ him off the cliffs and he thought he was going to die.

Ms Sugerman and her partner found each other but had to search for Mr Thompson, who was hundreds of meters down the mountain with a dislocated knee and broken tibia and fibula, Nine reported.

“The first thing he said to me as we skied towards him on the side of the hill was, ‘I thought you were dead.’ And I said, ‘I thought you were dead,'” Ms. Sugerman said.

Mr Thompson added: “I’m alive so I guess that’s all that matters.”

A man, identified in the media as 66-year-old Kenneth Kidd, died in the avalanche.

It was not immediately clear what caused the avalanche, but heavy snow and strong winds have battered the mountainous area over the past day.

Michael Gross, vice president of mountain operations at Palisades Tahoe, told reporters that the resort’s ski patrol had conducted avalanche assessments in the area where the slide occurred and deemed it safe to open to the public.

It was normal to open a ski slope amid heavy snowfall, he said.

The avalanche debris field was about 150 feet wide, 450 feet long and 10 feet deep, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said.

with Reuters

One dead in avalanche at Palisades Tahoe as several people are rescued from mountainside at California ski resort as rescuers desperately continue to search for visitors still buried

By Dominic Yeatman for Dailymail.com

One man was killed and three people were injured after an avalanche at the Palisades Tahoe ski area in California on Wednesday.

The ski area near the western shore of Lake Tahoe is closed for the day due to this incident, along with a significant winter storm approaching.

“Today at approximately 9:30 a.m. at Palisades Tahoe, an avalanche occurred on the Palisades side, specifically over the GS gully area of ​​KT-22,” the resort said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said the avalanche spread 450 feet long and 10 feet deep.

“The avalanche caused one death and one injury,” they posted just before 2 p.m. Pacific time, “no additional missing persons reported.”

The identity of the person killed was not released, but officials confirmed the man was a guest at the resort who had traveled from outside the area.

Three other skiers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were released after initial treatment, according to the resort. Among them was a person who suffered a lower leg injury.

Two others became trapped in the slide but were helped by other guests, resort staff said.

Wind gusts of 100 mph were expected at the Ridgetop on Wednesday as the resort is battered by a winter storm.

Weather forecaster Mark Sponsler, who stayed at the resort, said “several” people were buried by the avalanche, which happened within minutes of the KT-22 slope first opening this winter.

He and his wife arrived at the Palisades Base Area in Olympic Valley on Wednesday morning to ski.

“Apparently the first group of skiers to go up the lift skied down into the bowl below the lift, causing a massive avalanche that spanned the width of the entire bowl,” he wrote on Instagram.

‘Buried several people. Patrol is currently conducting search and rescue operations there. Several people missing.

“Pray that they are found alive. Even with little snow, the avalanche potential is very real. Stay safe and be smart.”

“One person who literally saw it happen told me they saw at least five people disappear under the snow, and only one came up,” he told the SF Chronicle.

‘They saw skis and poles sticking out of the snow.

“This is not a small slide, this is a really big problem.”

Placer County sheriff’s officials said the debris left in the wake of the avalanche was “approximately 150 feet wide, 450 feet long and 10 feet deep.”

The resort, which hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, covers more than 6,000 skiable acres and averages 180 inches of snow per season.

The Weather Channel reported that the resort had already received up to two inches of fresh snow in the past three days.

The Sierra Avalanche Center reports a ‘significant’ avalanche danger for today and tomorrow.

‘Dangerous avalanche conditions. “Careful evaluation of snowpacks, prudent routing and conservative decision-making are essential,” the report recommended.

Three people were killed by an avalanche in Washington’s Cascade Mountains in February while attempting to climb the northeast Couloir of Colchuck Peak near Leavenworth.

In 2014, six people were killed at Liberty Ridge on Washington’s Mount Rainier.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “The state is monitoring and ready to assist with the avalanche reported near Palisades in Tahoe.

“Cal Fire is shifting resources and personnel to assist with rescue efforts and will continue close coordination.”

“While we associate avalanche danger with heavy snowfall and fluctuating temperatures, this is a good reminder that low snow conditions can also lead to dangerous situations.” skimag.com reported.

“Palisades Tahoe is currently reporting a base of 50 inches amid continued snowstorms and gusty winds.”