Snowboarder dies in Sierra blizzard

An avalanche slammed into skiers in Squaw Valley on Friday, hours after a snowboarder who went missing in Thursday’s Sierra Nevada blizzard was found dead, officials said.

Wenyu Zhang, 42, of Rocklin (Placer County) was found dead at Squaw Valley Ski Resort, the county Sheriff ’s Department said in a tweet.

His body was discovered at 10:10 a.m. in the Squaw Creek area of the resort, said Liesl Hepburn, a spokeswoman for Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows.

Zhang had been reported missing at 9 p.m. Thursday, the same day a blizzard pounded the Sierra. Hepburn said Zhang’s last known location was registered at the Squaw Creek chairlift at Squaw Valley Ski Resort, after a late-afternoon season pass scan.

“On behalf of everyone at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, we would like to extend our heartfelt sympathy to the guest’s family and friends,” Hepburn said. “We hold them closely in our thoughts and prayers.”

On Friday afternoon, an avalanche slammed into skiers on the slopes at Squaw Valley, officials said.

Skiers reported the avalanche at 1:40 p.m. Five people, two women and three men, were hit by the avalanche. One suffered a serious lower body injury and was taken to Tahoe Forest Hospital for treatment.

Another skier was taken to Tahoe Truckee Medical Group and later released, while the other three were unharmed.

Videos shared on social media showed skiers on the slopes digging each other out of the snow after the avalanche. More than 100 rescuers, plus rescue dogs, responded to the scene, according to the resort.

The Placer County Sheriff ’s Office said that everyone involved in the avalanche had been accounted for and that no life-threatening injuries had been reported.