Skiers caught in avalanche in out-of-bounds area by Heavenly Resort

1/20 UPDATE: The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) said the avalanche occurred in El Dorado County in an area known as Rattlesnake, located just outside the resort boundary near the power lines above High Meadows, below Ridge Run and Sky Express.

When EDSO was notified, they immediately started coordinating a Search and Rescue (SAR) response and coordinating with Heavenly Valley Ski Patrol, who sent four patrollers. Two aircraft from local air ambulances CALSTAR and Careflight were requested in addition to hoist-capable CHP Air Operations. SAR personnel were also mobilized to respond by foot. CALSTAR and Careflight were able to land nearby and victims were transported to Renown for care suffering from moderate to major injuries. Rescue technicians were used on board the CHP helicopter provided by Lake Valley Fire Department. The current condition of the two victims is unknown.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Two men were caught in an avalanche on Thursday as they were skiing in an out-of-bounds area by Heavenly Mountain Resort at Lake Tahoe.

The story was heard on scanners as multiple agencies responded. Lake Valley Fire was on the scene along with South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and a JPA ambulance. CHP's H-20 helicopter hoisted rescue technicians down to the snow to assist. Lake Valley had one of its helicopter team members onboard.

The two men in the avalanche were reportedly part of a group doing what local skiers call "The Minden Mile" which is a backside of Heavenly trip to the bottom of Kingsbury Grade, but that has not been confirmed. They were equipped with backcountry safety items including beacons.

Heavenly Mountain Resort responded with the following statement: We can confirm that an out-of-bounds avalanche occurred earlier today beyond the ski area boundary. Heavenly Mountain Resort places the highest value on the safety of our guests and employees. Within the ski area boundaries, Ski Patrol performs avalanche mitigation work and provides emergency response. Given the large amount of terrain outside our boundaries, Patrol does not ordinarily provide avalanche mitigation or emergency response to those areas. However, in this instance, our Ski Patrol team did respond and is working alongside local search-and-rescue teams to assess the area and conduct necessary activity as the result of this out-of-bounds avalanche event. There are two confirmed injuries of backcountry skiers who were in the area – they are being treated at nearby hospitals.

Guests who wish to access backcountry terrain from the resort are encouraged to do so through designated access points only, which often provide important warnings and may provide snow condition/avalanche danger information or the phone numbers for Sierra Avalanche Center or similar organizations. Guests leaving Heavenly Mountain Resort boundaries should be experienced and knowledgeable about backcountry travel, as well as prepared with the appropriate gear and safety equipment.

The injured men were transported to Renown in Reno via medical helicopters. Their current condition is unknown at this time.

The Sierra Avalanche Center reported Thursday the avalanche warning was "considerable" in the Sierra. They reported several avalanches in the Lake Tahoe area over the past few days.

No other information is available at this time.