Update: Bend snowmobiler killed in California avalanche remembered as active, true outdoorsman
(Update: Adding video, comments from sheriff's sergeant, friend of Thomason)
TRUCKEE, Calif. (KTVZ) — A Bend snowmobiler was buried in snow and killed in an avalanche Monday during an outing with four friends in the Castle Peak area near Truckee, California, despite the group’s extensive experience and safety precautions, authorities said.
Nevada County sheriff’s deputies said the incident was reported around 2:20 p.m. Monday after the group set off from the Johnson Canyon area and made their way up to Castle Peak. On their return from the backside of the mountain, an avalanche was triggered, burying 42‑year‑old Chris Scott Thomason of Bend.
Sgt. Dustin Moe with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said Thomason’s friends immediately switched from recreation to rescue, using his avalanche transceiver to locate him under the snow. “The friends immediately went into action, trying to find the subject by searching for his transceiver. They found him a short while after and ended up digging him out and started some life‑saving measures doing CPR,” Moe said.
Deputies said the group of five friends were all well‑prepared for backcountry exploration, wearing appropriate protective equipment, including avalanche beacons/transceivers. Two members of the group are locals who know the Tahoe area well, one of them CPR‑certified, while the other three — including Thomason and another CPR‑certified rider — were visiting from Bend.
After Thomason was dug out, the group began CPR, which continued for more than an hour with the help of an off‑duty Truckee Fire medic who came upon the scene with two other Good Samaritans and took the lead on emergency efforts. Despite the sustained, high‑level CPR and the safety measures the group had in place, Thomason did not survive.
Thomason was well-known in Central Oregon, friends told KTVZ News. He was the co‑owner of Thomason Auto Group in Bend and is seen on the left in a photo shared with the station. Originally from Portland, he had lived in Bend for many years and loved to snowmobile, boat and mountain bike — a true outdoorsman who friends described as very active.
Thomason leaves behind his wife and their three young daughters.
Search efforts in the area concluded Monday night, and deputies said all remaining individuals known to be in the Castle Peak backcountry are accounted for and safe, with no other victims or missing persons. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office offered its condolences “to the family and loved ones impacted by this tragic incident” and thanked the nearly 50 people who joined the rescue mission.
Central Oregon, unfortunately, has a recent history of residents killed in the backcountry.
Viewers may remember that Terry and Susan Renee Skjersaa, a highly experienced Bend couple deeply rooted in the local skiing community, were killed in a large D2 avalanche while backcountry skiing near Broken Top in the Happy Valley area of the Cascades last February.
Just a few weeks later, Brian Thomas Roberts, a beloved Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation instructor, champion ski racer, and father from Bend, was killed in another avalanche while cat skiing on the north/northwest side of Mt. Bailey near Diamond Lake Resort.
