Authorities said Tahoe City, Calif., resident Randall Davis had been skiing in heavily wooded expert terrain Thursday morning at Squaw Valley USA when he and a partner got separated. Davis' companion summoned the resort's ski patrol, which found a single ski protruding from a fresh avalanche field.
Search dogs and electronic tracking devices led the rescue team to Davis, who was found dead under several feet of snow.
The Placer County Sheriff's Department says Davis was an experienced skier who had been riding the slopes at Squaw Valley since he was a child. There were blizzard conditions and high winds in the area Thursday morning.
Search crews Thursday night also were looking for two other skiers missing at the Mount Rose ski resort southwest of Reno.
The 20-year-old man and 21-year-old woman went missing around 3 p.m. Thursday after skiing at Mt. Rose's East Bowl.
The Washoe County sheriff's office said they were in contact with the duo by cell phone, but concerns grew as nighttime fell and temperatures plummeted to single digits and winds increased.
"There's a very high avalanche danger in the back country so we're concerned not only for the safety of the two people but also for the searchers of course," Randy Post with the Washoe County Hasty Team told KTVN-TV. "So we're trying to figure out the best route and it looks like it's going to be a long night."
Interstate 80, the main link between northern Nevada and Northern California, was shut down intermittently on Christmas Day as heavy snow pummeled the area for much of the day, and whiteout conditions made driving treacherous.
About 2 feet of snow fell in the mountains around Lake Tahoe, to the delight of ski resorts gearing up for a busy holiday ski season.
Only two weeks ago, temperatures were balmy and snow was scarce, sending more people to the golf links than ski slopes.
Since then, some areas have received up to 10 feet.
"This has been a perfect storm, where it comes in and brings some good solid snow," said Russ Pecoraro, spokesman for Heavenly Mountain Resort. "It's going to be super carvable, face shots everywhere from north to south to east to west.
"We've got snow."
Homewood Mountain Resort and Alpine Meadows each reported upwards of 2 feet.
"The powder is so deep, skiers need windshield wipers on their goggles as they come down the mountain," said Homewood general manager Kent Hoopingarner.
"This is one of the snowiest Christmas holiday periods I can remember."
Travel restrictions also were in effect farther east on I-80 over mountain grades, including a 150-mile section from Winnemucca to Elko.
In western Nevada, chains or snow tires were required on most other routes across the region, including in the Reno-Carson City area.
No major accidents were reported.
NHP Sgt. Blair Harkleroad said traffic around the Reno area was light, and he advised people to stay home if possible.
A winter storm warning for the Lake Tahoe region expired by late afternoon, but the National Weather Service said snow showers would linger. Partial clearing was expected overnight, accompanied by plunging temperatures.
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