Adrenaline enthusiast, pro skier, and BASE jumper JT Holmes triggered an avalanche in between Donner Lake and Tinker Knob in the Lake Tahoe backcountry on January 14, 2016. Holmes was buried three feet deep and was found unconscious.
Holmes was skiing with a crew of eight skiers in the backcountry northwest of Lake Tahoe when the avalanche occurred. According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, they were “skiing a north or northeast aspect in complex terrain with trees, chutes and gullies and which he estimated was at about 7,400 feet in elevation.”
The avalanche caught and buried JT Holmes on the fourth run of the day. The Reno Gazette-Journal writes that he was buried in the 2nd wave of the avalanche. Everyone in the group had the necessary avalanche safety gear (beacon, shovel, and probe). Three people in the party were emergency medical responders. They were able to find and dig Holmes out quickly.
Holmes did not require CPR, but he did need assistance to evacuate the area.
Close call. Glad this one had a happy ending.
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Read more about the avalanche that buried JT Holmes from these sources:
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JT Holmes made headlines earlier this year when he skied off the Eiger in the Swiss Alps.
