Backcountry skier dies in Luther Pass avalanche
EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. – UPDATE: The man has been identified as Frederic Dross by his family. They have set up a GoFundMe page.
On Monday, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office reported that a man was in backcountry off Luther Pass for longer than expected and hadn’t returned home, according to his wife. She found his car parked on SR89 and his body was found by his friends north of Waterhouse Peak. It was not yet retrieved due to unsafe conditions, according to Captain Michael Lansing.
This morning, the El Dorado Search and Rescue team returned to Powderhouse Peak to arrange retrieval of the deceased.
The Sierra Avalanche Center has marked the Central Sierra Nevada at a moderate danger scale. On February 16 and 17, submitted observations marked that avalanches have occurred at both Waterhouse Peak and Powderhouse Peak. As winter storms have been few this season, accompanied by both rain and periods of sunshine that melt the snow, the risk of avalanches increases.
According to Avalanche.org, it is the first avalanche-related death in California this year and ninth in the United States.
This story is developing and will be updated with further details.
Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.
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