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An in-bounds avalanche occurred at , near Tahoe, California, on Friday morning.

It was one of those sunny, blue-sky powder days, with 25 inches of new snow. The avalanche occurred around 10:15 a.m. in a lower area off the resort’s Scott Chair. The slide had a��12-inch crown—relatively small by avalanche standards—but it was enough to sweep��two people over treacherous, cliffy terrain and into a heavily treed zone.

Immediately after the slide, ski patrol shut down all back bowls and hike-to zones at Alpine, a mountain known for its far-reaching terrain that feels like the backcountry. Ski patrol and its team of avalanche dogs were on the scene shortly thereafter, conducting a thorough search of the area using beacons, RECCO technology, and probe searches.��Placer County Sheriff and Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue responded to the scene as well.��

According to a Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows ski patroller who asked not to be named, the victim who was killed,��Cole Comstock, 34, of Blairsden, California,��died of blunt force trauma. The injured person, who has not been named,��suffered lower-leg injuries as a result of a collision with a tree and was transported to a nearby hospital.��

By 12:50 p.m., the search was called off. Placer County Sheriff and the Squaw Valley confirmed there were no additional victims.��

This marks the 10th avalanche fatality of this season. In-bounds avalanches are rare but not unheard of. This incident comes on the heels of three fatalities in an in-bounds slide at Idaho’s Silver Mountain on January 7. Last winter, a slide killed two skiers off Taos Ski Valley’s in-bounds Kachina Peak.��

Although ski patrol conducts avalanche mitigation in-bounds at ski resorts, nothing is guaranteed. “Ski patrol does everything in their power to mitigate the hazard,” said the ski patroller.��“But there are always going to be small pockets and if you find those pockets in dangerous areas, that can lead to serious consequences.”

Safety tips to keep in mind: “Wear a beacon, even in-bounds, on big powder days,” he said. “Ski one at a time through steep, high-consequence areas, and evaluate your hazards—if the slope rips, what’s below you?”