Backcountry skier killed in California avalanche; body recovered in ‘extremely hazardous’ snow conditions

PLACERVILLE, Calif. (KTVZ) – A backcountry skier from South Lake Tahoe was killed in an avalanche Monday at California's Luther Pass, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Dispatchers received a call late Monday afternoon of an overdue skier in the area of Powderhouse Peak, deputies said. His vehicle was found at a parking area.

As a Search and Rescue response got underway, friends soon found the deceased man, identified as Federic Dross, 46, in an avalanche area, deputies said in a Facebook post.

Due to the dangerous snow conditions, the recovery of the avalanche victim was postponed until early Tuesday.  A joint recovery extraction operation took place as “unstable snow created extremely hazardous recovery conditions,” deputies said.