California avalanche kills expert skier

FRESNO, Calif., Dec. 26 (UPI) -- A Christmas Day avalanche at a ski resort in Squaw Valley, Calif., killed a 21-year-old man identified as an expert skier, authorities say.

The Placer County Sheriff's Department said Randall C. Davis was killed Thursday at Squaw Valley ski resort while skiing with a friend, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.

After the unidentified friend reported being separated from Davis, rescue workers located the skier's body buried under several feet of snow.

Blizzard-like conditions including heavy snow and winds had struck the area where the body was found by search dogs and tracking devices, the Chronicle said.

Friends and family of Davis said the 21-year-old was a veteran skier who routinely visited Squaw Valley.

The Tahoe Daily Tribune said Davis' body is awaiting an autopsy to determine an official cause of death, the newspaper said.