Snowboarder killed in Donner Ski Ranch avalanche | News

TRUCKEE, CA - A snowboarder was killed Monday morning in a moderate sized avalanche at Donner Ski Ranch, according to the Nevada County Sheriff's Department.

An employee at the resort said the avalanche struck between chairs one and six around 9:30 a.m.

It was originally believed everyone was accounted for, but a skier reported that his friend, who was snowboarding in the area of the avalanche, was missing.

Nevada County sheriff's Sgt. Bob Jakobs said search and rescue crews from Donner Ski Ranch and Sugar Bowl searched the area of the avalanche for the missing snowboarder.

At around 1:30 p.m., a ski patrol canine alerted rescuers to an area at the base of the debris field.

Jakobs said the body of a deceased male was found buried under 2 to 3 feet of snow; he matched the description of the missing snowboarder.

The snowboarder was identified as Steven Mark Anderson, 49, of Truckee, Calif. He was pronounced dead around 2:30 p.m. Monday.

Search and rescue crews began wrapping up their efforts around 4:30 p.m.