Las Vegas, NV (AP) –A skier died Monday morning when he was caught in an avalanche that occurred in a backcountry area near Mount Charleston.
Las Vegas Metro Police say that 32-year-old Punan Zhou was skiing with a group of friends in the Mummy Springs area when he was swept up by the avalanche. The group Zhou was skiing with used a tracking device to find him and unsuccessfully performed CPR in an effort to resuscitate him. They then worked to take him down the mountain to first responders.
The avalanche was said to have occurred at the 11,000 foot level of the mountain, well above the more populated communities in the Mount Charleston area.
On Tuesday, the Lee Canyon Ski and Snowboard Resort decided to close so snow safety work and "avalanche mitigation" can take place safely. The resort said that anyone who pre-purchased products for Tuesday will be refunded automatically.