Pro skier JT Holmes survives avalanche burial
By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal
Pro skier JT Holmes says he’s still shaken five days after being buried and going unconscious in an avalanche northwest of Lake Tahoe.
Holmes, who is known for pushing the boundaries of big mountain skiing and speed riding, said he was skiing with friends on Thursday near Truckee when the slide occurred during the group’s fourth run of the day.
JT Holmes
Holmes said he was in a group of eight in the backcountry between Tinker Knob and Donner Lake, skiing a north or northeast aspect in complex terrain with trees, chutes and gullies and which he estimated was at about 7,400 feet in elevation.
“I got flushed through, went downhill with the avalanche,” Holmes said. “The second wave of the avalanche buried me.”