On January 10th 2024, an avalanche occurred at Palisades Tahoe, more specifically, under KT-22, also known as, “The Greatest Lift In America.” It is called this because KT accesses the most and best terrain of any chairlift around. “KT-22” was named after an athletic feat by Palisades Tahoe co-founder Sandy PoulsenSo. Because it has the best terrain of any chairlift around, when the avalanche hit, it took some time for some people to be found and identified. How did it happen, and are there more people that still have not been found?
Avalanches happen when fresh snowfall adds a new layer to a snowpack. If new snow piles up during a storm, the snowpack may become overloaded, setting off a slide. This is what caused the avalanche, just 30 minutes after the lift had opened for the first time this season. A day after it happened, the access road was lost due to the debris the avalanche caused, and they weren’t able to reestablish the road for a while.
“There was screaming, there were skis and poles and a hand sticking up out of the snow,” Sponsler said. The avalanche sadly took the life of 66-year-old Kenneth Kidd who lived in both Point Reyes and the Truckee Tahoe area. Another person broke their leg and another two were caught in the avalanche. Jason Parker, one of the survivors of the avalanche stated that he did not know he was going to survive. Parker was skiing down the mountain until he saw debris coming down the mountain. Seconds later, he got knocked on his back by a wave of snow and then got flipped onto his stomach as he tried to “swim” to the surface. Parker believes that he was under the snow for about 8 minutes and said he was losing consciousness.
Luckily, Parker was found when he then stated, “And then the best thing ever happened,” he said. “I felt this sensation, this probe just nailed me right in the back, and I heard this person yell, ‘I found him’ or, ‘We got him.’ I kind of woke up rejuvenated.” Fortunately, Placer County Sheriff’s think they have found everyone that was caught in the avalanche.
Tahoe was expecting more problems though, because 2 days later, another avalanche hit along with a storm. Luckily no one was hurt. 2 days after the second avalanche, winter storms brought wind gusts of up to 120 mph to the Tahoe region and 6 days after that, warm storms were expected to bring high-elevated snow to Tahoe Basin.
In the wake of these events, there is an opportunity for reflection and learning. Whether it be reinforcing safety protocols, improving communication during emergencies, or enhancing infrastructure resilience, these incidents can serve as an impulse for positive change.