South Lake Tahoe skier, a father of two, reportedly dies in Northern California avalanche

A South Lake Tahoe man died Monday after an avalanche struck as he skied in El Dorado County’s backcountry, authorities and family said.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office was called Monday for a report of a man who hadn’t returned back to his car while skiing near Luther Pass, in the area of Powderhouse Peak, the Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post. The backcountry route is also near Waterhouse Peak.

The man’s friends found his body Monday “in an avalanche area,” but deputies were not able to retrieve him until Tuesday, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies at 6 a.m. Tuesday encountered more unstable snow and set off controlled explosives to avoid another avalanche, the Sheriff’s Office said. The man was ultimately recovered through the combined efforts of the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue team and a helicopter.

Family and friends identified the man as Frederic Dross, a husband and a father of two young girls, according to a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the family.

“He was one of the most generous, positive, and energetic people I knew, he is loved and will be very missed,” the GoFundMe said.

The El Dorado County coroner also confirmed Dross’ identity and said he was 46 years old, according to the Sheriff’s Office social media post.

Dross dedicated his life to the solar industry and was on the leadership team of a California-based company called Swift Solar. His personal mission was to “invent and drive to market the future of solar and storage,” Joel Jean, the CEO and founder Swift Solar, wrote in a post to LinkedIn.

Dross brought joy and love to work and aimed to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Jean wrote.

“I truly believed we would change the world together,” Jean wrote.

This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 6:54 PM.