A ski resort at Lake Tahoe has reopened a day after a ski patrol member was killed in an accident involving explosives used to artificially trigger an avalanche.
Squaw Valley Ski Holdings CEO Andy Wirth says they reopened the resort north of Tahoe City, California, on Wednesday in honor of Joe Zuiches. He says the decision was made after consulting with members of the Squaw Valley Ski Patrol, who said the 42-year-old California man would have wanted it that way.
As of midday Wednesday, an online memorial fund already had raised more than $130,000 for his surviving wife and infant son.
Authorities say Zuiches was carrying an undisclosed amount of ammonium nitrate based charges when the explosion occurred at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday before the slopes were scheduled to open to the public.
Placer County Sheriff's Lt. Alfredo Guitron says the emergency response required a team of explosives specialists to safely recover undetonated charges. That delayed the removal of the victim's body from the mountain until late Tuesday afternoon.