An avalanche in Oregon's Cascade Mountains killed two backcountry skiers while another backcountry skier was found dead in an avalanche field near South Lake Tahoe, authorities said.

Mammoth Mountain shut down all lift operations on Friday, Feb. 14, after an avalanche on Lincoln Mountain. Two ski patrol workers were caught in the slide.

Since December 2023, 30 people have died in avalanches across the United States, highlighting the critical role of avalanche rescue dogs in California. Avalanche rescue dogs undergo rigorous training to prepare for life-saving missions in snowy conditions.

Three people died in avalanches Monday — one person near Lake Tahoe in California and two backcountry skiers in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. The avalanche danger was elevated for most of Colorado’s mountains earlier this week but conditions have improved somewhat in some areas.

A growing number of skiers, weary of high prices and long lift lines at crowded resorts, are turning to the solitude of backcountry slopes. But the avalanche dangers are real, and skiers should go in prepared.

A father of two was killed by an avalanche while skiing in Lake Tahoe’s mountainous  backcountry on Monday, the sheriff’s office said. El Dorado County emergency