A deadly February continues for skiers in the Lake Tahoe region, with two separate fatalities reported Friday at Heavenly Mountain Resort. The incidents, occurring at Boulder Lodge on the Nevada side of the mountain, bring the total number of ski-related deaths in the area this month to at least five, and follow a particularly tragic week that included the loss of nine skiers in an avalanche near Castle Peak.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene around 11:55 a.m. Pacific Time. Authorities confirmed the two incidents were unrelated and the victims did not know each other. Both skiers were transported by Heavenly Ski Patrol to the base area, where life-saving measures were attempted, but both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Heavenly Mountain Resort provided further details, stating that one of the fatalities involved a 57-year-old man who suffered a medical emergency on the Tamarack Trail. The second incident was a skiing fatality on the Orion Trail involving a 33-year-old man. The Sheriff’s Office later identified the skiers as Nicholas Jamil Haddad, 33, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, and Brian Robert Fraud, 57, of Elk Grove, California. The causes of death for both men remain under investigation.
The recent deaths at Heavenly are part of a broader pattern of tragedy in the Lake Tahoe area this month. Just days prior, on Tuesday, an avalanche near Castle Peak claimed the lives of at least eight skiers during a backcountry touring trip. That event is now considered the deadliest avalanche in California’s recorded history. Of the fifteen skiers involved, six survived, while the bodies of eight have been recovered, and a ninth remains presumed dead. Authorities are currently investigating the company that led the backcountry trip for potential criminal negligence.
Further compounding the concerns, a 21-year-old skier was found dead on an advanced trail at Northstar California Resort earlier this week. Resort officials confirmed the individual was an off-duty employee. This marked the third death at Northstar this February. On February 15th, a 53-year-old man from the San Francisco Bay Area died following a collision with another skier. Prior to that, on February 8th, a 26-year-old man from Los Angeles died while skiing on an advanced trail at the same resort.
The concentration of fatalities has understandably raised safety concerns among skiers and resort officials. While authorities have not yet determined if weather conditions played a role in the incidents at Heavenly, the sheer number of deaths in such a short period is prompting increased caution. Videos circulating on social media showed favorable conditions at Heavenly on Friday, but the recent tragedies are weighing on the minds of those hitting the slopes.
Luke Longaker, a skier visiting from Half Moon Bay, expressed a growing sense of unease. “Especially when you’re hearing about it, not just today, but yesterday or the day before, one after the other, it does kind of kick you in the back of your mind like, is there more we can be doing to be safe?”
Gary Hohl, a former owner of a ski shop in Burlingame, echoed this sentiment, stating he was reconsidering a planned ski trip. “I’m just more aware of things like that can happen,” he said. “I was thinking about going up this Sunday. In fact, my son asked me if I wanted to go…”
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the deaths at Heavenly remains active. As the ski season continues and fresh snow draws crowds to the Tahoe region, the focus on safety is likely to intensify. The recent events serve as a stark reminder of the inherent risks associated with winter sports and the importance of vigilance on the slopes.
