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Two tragedies struck the high Sierra on Christmas Day, leaving a Petaluma woman dead after being hit by a train and a young, lifelong skier from Tahoe City dead in an avalanche at Squaw Valley.
Both incidents highlight the danger of winter recreation in the high mountains, where weather conditions can change suddenly.
Meanwhile, ski areas are stepping up their avalanche patrols to prevent more deaths from sliding snow.
People planning activities or travel in the area can find weather conditions at the National Weather Service Web site, www.nws.noaa.gov. Information about conditions in ski areas can be found at individual resort Web sites, with several at SkiLakeTahoe.com.
Sydney Parks, 59, of Petaluma was pronounced dead at the Union Pacific Railroad tracks where she and her son were hiking near Soda Springs, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said.
Parks’ son, Alan Young, 22, of Davis, was injured when he tried to save her, according to a report from the Petaluma Argus-Courier. He was taken to Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee with serious injuries, the Sheriff’s Office added.
The pair had left the Royal Gorge cross-country ski resort in Soda Springs because it closed early for the day, the Argus-Courier reported.
Parks, a nurse practitioner at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Rafael, and Young decided to go for a walk in nearby Truckee, but didn’t realize they were walking on railroad tracks due to the snow accumulation, the weekly newspaper reported on its Web site.
Witnesses and Young told deputies they were hiking along the railroad tracks, which they thought was a trail, at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday when a train plowing the tracks approached them.
The engineer tried an emergency stop and blew the whistle, but the mother and son apparently became confused in the whiteout conditions and moved into the train’s path instead of away from it, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“The train came around the curve, and Sydney lost her footing and fell in front of it.
Allen then jumped down to grab her, but the train still killed her, and he suffered a broken arm and a broken ankle,” said Roger Young, Allen Young’s father and Parks’ former husband, in an interview with the Argus-Courier.
Allen Parks underwent surgery for a broken arm, his father said. A hospital spokesman Friday would not reveal his condition.
“He was traumatized,” Roger Young, a retired contractor who lives in Mount Shasta, told the Argus-Courier. “It’s just typical of him to try to save is mother the way he did.”
The accident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Randall Davis, a lifelong skier, was found dead under several feet of snow after a ski patrol searched for him with trained dogs and electronic tracking devices.
Davis, 21, had been reported missing shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday in the Red Dog area — a steep, heavily wooded area considered expert terrain, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
He had been skiing with a friend during a blizzard, the Associated Press reported.
Searchers found a single ski that matched his equipment in a fresh avalanche path.
“He was passionate about people, friends, sports, school and life,” said Nancy Davis, his mother. “He loved to perform and he loved to be at the center of attention.”
He had been skiing since he was 2 years old, she added.
Randall Davis graduated from North Tahoe High School in 2005, and was in his fourth year at UC Davis, where he studied exercise biology.
He skied with the Mighty Mites at Squaw until he was 8 years old, when he moved to the freestyle team, where he became a coach, Nancy Davis said.
Randall Davis’ father, Bud Davis, owner of Sawtooth Ridge Cafe in Tahoe City, passed away last January of cancer.
“It’s devastating to lose a 21-year-old son, especially after Bud Davis dying last year,” said Ed Miller, a friend of the family. “They rode across the United States on bicycles — Randy had the same sense of adventure as Bud; he was always challenging himself.”
The U.S. Forest Service's Sierra Avalanche Center on Friday said the avalanche danger is moderate in backcountry areas above treeline in the Sierra around Lake Tahoe.
The heavy snow in recent days is prompting resorts to kick avalanche control into full gear for the busy holiday ski season, said Rachael Woods, spokeswoman for the nearby Alpine Meadows resort.
The efforts routinely involve the use of explosives in reducing snow on steep slopes, the closure of certain areas and talks with guests about snow safety, she told the AP.
A pair of skiers at the Mount Rose ski resort south of Reno were found in good condition Thursday night after they went missing in the afternoon.
The Washoe County Sheriff's Office said it had been in contact with the duo by cell phone after they went out of bounds, the AP reported.
Greyson Howard of The Union News Service contributed to this report. To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.
Both incidents highlight the danger of winter recreation in the high mountains, where weather conditions can change suddenly.
Meanwhile, ski areas are stepping up their avalanche patrols to prevent more deaths from sliding snow.
People planning activities or travel in the area can find weather conditions at the National Weather Service Web site, www.nws.noaa.gov. Information about conditions in ski areas can be found at individual resort Web sites, with several at SkiLakeTahoe.com.
Sydney Parks, 59, of Petaluma was pronounced dead at the Union Pacific Railroad tracks where she and her son were hiking near Soda Springs, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said.
Parks’ son, Alan Young, 22, of Davis, was injured when he tried to save her, according to a report from the Petaluma Argus-Courier. He was taken to Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee with serious injuries, the Sheriff’s Office added.
The pair had left the Royal Gorge cross-country ski resort in Soda Springs because it closed early for the day, the Argus-Courier reported.
Parks, a nurse practitioner at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Rafael, and Young decided to go for a walk in nearby Truckee, but didn’t realize they were walking on railroad tracks due to the snow accumulation, the weekly newspaper reported on its Web site.
Witnesses and Young told deputies they were hiking along the railroad tracks, which they thought was a trail, at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday when a train plowing the tracks approached them.
The engineer tried an emergency stop and blew the whistle, but the mother and son apparently became confused in the whiteout conditions and moved into the train’s path instead of away from it, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“The train came around the curve, and Sydney lost her footing and fell in front of it.
Allen then jumped down to grab her, but the train still killed her, and he suffered a broken arm and a broken ankle,” said Roger Young, Allen Young’s father and Parks’ former husband, in an interview with the Argus-Courier.
Allen Parks underwent surgery for a broken arm, his father said. A hospital spokesman Friday would not reveal his condition.
“He was traumatized,” Roger Young, a retired contractor who lives in Mount Shasta, told the Argus-Courier. “It’s just typical of him to try to save is mother the way he did.”
The accident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Randall Davis, a lifelong skier, was found dead under several feet of snow after a ski patrol searched for him with trained dogs and electronic tracking devices.
Davis, 21, had been reported missing shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday in the Red Dog area — a steep, heavily wooded area considered expert terrain, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
He had been skiing with a friend during a blizzard, the Associated Press reported.
Searchers found a single ski that matched his equipment in a fresh avalanche path.
“He was passionate about people, friends, sports, school and life,” said Nancy Davis, his mother. “He loved to perform and he loved to be at the center of attention.”
He had been skiing since he was 2 years old, she added.
Randall Davis graduated from North Tahoe High School in 2005, and was in his fourth year at UC Davis, where he studied exercise biology.
He skied with the Mighty Mites at Squaw until he was 8 years old, when he moved to the freestyle team, where he became a coach, Nancy Davis said.
Randall Davis’ father, Bud Davis, owner of Sawtooth Ridge Cafe in Tahoe City, passed away last January of cancer.
“It’s devastating to lose a 21-year-old son, especially after Bud Davis dying last year,” said Ed Miller, a friend of the family. “They rode across the United States on bicycles — Randy had the same sense of adventure as Bud; he was always challenging himself.”
The U.S. Forest Service's Sierra Avalanche Center on Friday said the avalanche danger is moderate in backcountry areas above treeline in the Sierra around Lake Tahoe.
The heavy snow in recent days is prompting resorts to kick avalanche control into full gear for the busy holiday ski season, said Rachael Woods, spokeswoman for the nearby Alpine Meadows resort.
The efforts routinely involve the use of explosives in reducing snow on steep slopes, the closure of certain areas and talks with guests about snow safety, she told the AP.
A pair of skiers at the Mount Rose ski resort south of Reno were found in good condition Thursday night after they went missing in the afternoon.
The Washoe County Sheriff's Office said it had been in contact with the duo by cell phone after they went out of bounds, the AP reported.
Greyson Howard of The Union News Service contributed to this report. To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.
