Large Avalanche Triggered by Skier on Jake’s Peak, South Lake Tahoe, CA

A skier-triggered an avalanche Tuesday at Lake Tahoe, reports The Sierra Avalanche Center. The avalanche forecast that morning was considerable.

A group of skiers were climbing Jake’s Peak, near Emerald Bay, and witnessed another skier trigger a slide above the treeline.

A skier-triggered avalanche occurred on the East aspect of Jake’s Peak, just below the summit, in a wind-loaded pocket.  Triggered at the south end and propagated north about 100′. Crown was 8-10″ deep. Within new snow and debris ran about 200′ downslope.  No one was caught in the slide and no damage was observed.  Moderate Wind gusts and and new snow falling.

The avalanche slid about 200-feet and was 150-feet wide, according to the report on sierraavalanchecenter.org, burying the top four switchbacks of the trail leading to the summit. The report said the avalanche was rated as D2, big enough to bury, injure or kill a person.

The party who witnessed the slide began a beacon search and found no signal.

With the big snow recently in the Tahoe area, the SAC is reminding people to pay attention in the backcountry because dangerous avalanche conditions.