Avalanche at Tahoe’s Palisades ski resort prompts search and rescue operation, 1 confirmed dead

An avalanche at a popular ski resort in California on Wednesday morning forced mountain closures and prompted a search and rescue operation, which later confirmed at least one person was killed. The occurred around 9:30 a.m., local time, on a trail that had just opened for the season, the ski resort said in a message shared on social media.

“Our patrol and mountain operations teams are performing a search at this time. Both sides of our mountain will be closed for the day,” resort officials added. Sgt. David Smith, a spokesperson for the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, initially said there were of anyone trapped beneath the snow, but added search and rescue teams were still assessing the area.

At around 2 p.m., another update from the sheriff’s office No other people had been reported missing at the time. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said in a statement that the state was State emergency officials were working in coordination with Olympic Valley and Placer County agencies, while the sheriff’s office added that more than 100 Palisades personnel participated in the search.

The Sierra Avalanche Center, which works in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, had warned of “considerable” avalanche danger on Wednesday and Thursday, as a “strong winter storm” moves across the region. Located in Olympic Valley, Calif., Palisades Tahoe opened in 1949 and served as the host site for the 1960 Winter Olympics.

Often voted one of North America’s best ski resorts, Palisades Tahoe is “ according to a description on its website..