Avalanche at Palisades Tahoe leads to search effort at the resort

OLYMPIC VALLEY – Palisades Tahoe patrol and mountain operations teams are performing a search after an avalanche today.

In a statement from the resort, officials confirmed that the avalanche happened around 9:30 a.m. on the Palisades side above the GS gully area of KT-22.

Palisades Tahoe trail map

Cal Fire is also moving resources and personnel to help with possible rescue efforts, the California governor’s office stated.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed that they were responding to reports of an avalanche at the resort.

According to the resort’s website, all lifts at Palisades and Alpine are now closed for the day.

It’s unclear, at this point in the investigation, if there have been any injuries.

Avalanches are a known danger in the Tahoe region, with the Sierra Avalanche Center publishing daily danger forecasts. Wednesday’s avalanche danger rating was “considerable” for all levels the center tracks.

Back in 2020, an avalanche at Alpine Meadows killed one skier.

So far in 2024, there have not been any avalanche-related fatalities, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Last year, there were 30 fatalities nationwide, with two occurring in California: One was as hiker on Split Mountain, southwest of Big Pine, and one was a backcountry skier at Hurd Peak, southwest of Bishop.

Palisades Tahoe, which hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, is one of the region’s most popular ski resorts. It was renamed in 2021 after a push by Native American groups over the derogatory history of the original name.