Distressing moment rescuers frantically dig through snowpack to try to save skier trapped under huge avalanche - but are too late as 66-year-old San Francisco man dies before he can be saved

The death Wednesday was the first U.S. avalanche fatality of the seasonKenneth Kidd, 66, has been identified as the fatal victim of Wednesday's avalanche, which also injured three other skiersPalisades, the site for the 1960 Winter Olympics, is on the western side of Lake Tahoe, about 40 miles from Reno, Nevada

Harrowing footage captured the dramatic moment rescuers frantically tried to save a skier trapped under a massive avalanche in Palisades Tahoe in California.

San Francisco resident Kenneth Kidd, 66, has been identified as the fatal victim of Wednesday’s avalanche, which also injured three other skiers. One person suffered a lower leg injury and two others were treated for unspecified injuries and released, officials said.

The death Wednesday was the first U.S. avalanche fatality of the season, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which monitors nationwide.

An avalanche roared through a section of expert trails at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe as a major storm with snow and gusty winds moved into the region, authorities said.

The avalanche occurred about 9.30am and prompted Palisades Tahoe to close as search crews combed the area under the K-22 lift, which 30 minutes earlier had opened for the first time this season. It serves ‘black diamond’ runs for skilled skiers and snowboarders.

Harrowing footage captured the dramatic moment rescuers frantically tried to save a skier trapped under a massive avalanche in Palisades Tahoe

San Francisco resident Kenneth Kidd, 66, has been identified as the fatal victim of Wednesday’s avalanche, which also injured three other skiers

Palisades, the site for the 1960 Winter Olympics, is on the western side of Lake Tahoe, about 40 miles from Reno, Nevada.

Winds at the top of Palisades resort (8,000 feet) were gusting between 31 mph and 38 mph at the time of the avalanche.

Dan Lavely, 67, of Reno is a season pass holder at Palisades and skied mostly at Alpine Meadows on Monday when there was very little snow and the KT-22 lift was closed.

The KT-22 run along the side of the lift is where the giant slalom was held during the 1960 Olympics, he said.

‘Really good skiers love it because it’s really steep,’ he said. ‘I remember when I was really young I was skiing around there. I fell over and slid like two-thirds of the way down the mountain. There was no way to stop because it’s just so steep.’

A 2020 avalanche at Alpine Meadows killed one skier and seriously injured another a day after a major storm. Another avalanche at the resort in March 1982 killed seven people, including several employees.

The red circle on this resort map highlights the location of this morning’s avalanche

The resort, which hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, spans more than 6,000 skiable acres and averages 450 inches of snowfall each season

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

‘The avalanche caused one fatality and one injury,’ they posted just before 2pm Pacific Time, ‘No further missing persons have been reported.’

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

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

Ridgetop gusts of 100mph were expected Wednesday as the resort is buffeted by a winter storm.

Weather forecaster Mark Sponsler, who was staying at the resort, said ‘multiple’ people were buried by the avalanche, which happened within minutes of the KT-22 slope opening for the first time this winter.

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

‘Apparently the first group of skiers up the lift skied down in the bowl under the lift, triggering a massive avalanche that spanned the width of the entire bowl,’ he wrote on Instagram.

Ridgetop gusts of 100mph were expected on Wednesday as the resort is buffeted by a winter storm

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

Six were killed at Liberty Ridge on Mount Rainier in Washington in 2014.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said: ‘The state is monitoring and standing by to assist with the avalanche reported at Palisades in Tahoe.

‘Cal Fire is moving resources and personnel to help with rescue efforts and will continue close coordination.’

‘While we associate avalanche risk with heavy snow and variable 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 50-inch base amid continuing snowstorm and gusty winds.’