Skier at Lake Tahoe area resort, thought to have died in remote mountain area during storm, found dead in residential area

[Dan Druff]

Remember the mystery of the couple and the baby who mysteriously died together while hiking in central California, despite no injuries on any of their bodies?

We have another weird death in California, this time related to a winter activity.

Rory Angelotta, age 43, was an experienced skier, and was skiing at Northstar Resort on December 24. Northstar is located on the northwest side of Lake Tahoe, on the California side, and is one of several ski resorts surrounding Lake Tahoe.

At 11:30am that day, Angelotta scanned a ski pass at a chairlift there, and then vanished. There was a heavy storm that day, and it was assumed that Angelotta had an accident while skiing there, fell off a cliff somewhere, and was unable to be found due to the heavy snow and possibly falling into a remote, non-trafficked area.

Some assumed that Angelotta wouldn't be found until the snow eventually melted.

However, he was found dead today in an unlikely location -- in a residential neighborhood, three miles from Northstar. His truck was still parked at the Northstar lot, and it's not clear how he got so far away, or why he left the resort.

The police claim that foul play is not suspected.

There is a theory that Angelotta got disoriented from the storm and the cold, ened up accidentally skiing outside the resort's boundaries, and then wandered around trying to find help, finally stumbling onto that neighborhood, but collapsing before he could knock on any doors. His body wasn't found earlier because of the heavy snow falling during the time, but it hasn't snowed since December 29, so presumably some melted off by now, and he was discovered.

Still, anyone who has skied knows that it's not particularly easy to walk with ski equipment, so going three miles isn't trivial. Angelotta had his phone on him, and there's no indication he attempted to call anyone for help.

Very strange.

Angelotta was not a tourist. He lived in nearby Truckee, and managed a ski shop.

[limitles]

Remember the mystery of the couple and the baby who mysteriously died together while hiking in central California, despite no injuries on any of their bodies?

We have another weird death in California, this time related to a winter activity.

Rory Angelotta, age 43, was an experienced skier, and was skiing at Northstar Resort on December 24. Northstar is located on the northwest side of Lake Tahoe, on the California side, and is one of several ski resorts surrounding Lake Tahoe.

At 11:30am that day, Angelotta scanned a ski pass at a chairlift there, and then vanished. There was a heavy storm that day, and it was assumed that Angelotta had an accident while skiing there, fell off a cliff somewhere, and was unable to be found due to the heavy snow and possibly falling into a remote, non-trafficked area.

Some assumed that Angelotta wouldn't be found until the snow eventually melted.

However, he was found dead today in an unlikely location -- in a residential neighborhood, three miles from Northstar. His truck was still parked at the Northstar lot, and it's not clear how he got so far away, or why he left the resort.

The police claim that foul play is not suspected.

There is a theory that Angelotta got disoriented from the storm and the cold, ened up accidentally skiing outside the resort's boundaries, and then wandered around trying to find help, finally stumbling onto that neighborhood, but collapsing before he could get help. His body wasn't found earlier because of the heavy snow falling during the time, but it hasn't snowed since December 29, so presumably some melted off by now, and he was discovered.

Still, anyone who has skied knows that it's not particularly easy to walk with ski equipment, so going three miles isn't trivial. Angelotta had his phone on him, and there's no indication he attempted to call anyone for help.

Very strange.

Angelotta was not a tourist. He lived in nearby Truckee, and managed a ski shop.

It's a little odd because of his experience but getting lost in bad conditions is not a stretch.

Mother nature took care of the rest

[Jayjami]

This is pretty strange. The guy ain’t a tourist, the terrain around Northstar isn’t really dangerous, and the area is fairly populated. My two cents: he was skiing the trees on the backside, in bad weather, hit his head and got disoriented. I never used to wear a helmet in the trees when I was young, but nowadays I’m a little more cognizant of my mortality. I still love skiing the trees all by myself though.