Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016 | 1:51 p.m.
RENO — The Washoe County coroner has identified the avalanche victim at a ski resort near Reno over the weekend as a 64-year-old California man who lived near Santa Cruz.
The medical examiner's office said Tuesday the body of Thomas Barker of Aptos, California was found beneath the snow on Sunday at the Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe resort half way between Reno and Lake Tahoe.
His official cause of death is still pending.
Emergency crews responded Saturday to reports a skier was trapped in an avalanche in an area that was closed to the public at the time.
Mike Pierce, the resort's marketing director, says the steep terrain in that area known as the "Chutes" is open for skiing during certain conditions. But he says the gates were closed on Saturday with signs that clearly showed it was off limits.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy