Elk Grove man identified as one of two skiers killed at Heavenly in Lake Tahoe
The two skiers who died in separate skiing incidents last week at Heavenly Mountain Resort’s Boulder Lodge were identified Monday by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, including one man from Elk Grove.
Brian Robert Frias, 57, of Elk Grove, and Nicholas Jamil Haddad, 33, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, died from injuries sustained in separate, unrelated incidents at the resortt, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Both men were transported to the base area by ski patrol crews, and life-saving measures were attempted. They were pronounced dead at the scene, the Sheriff’s Office said. The cause and manner of death remained under investigation.
The deaths of Frias and Haddad were the fourth and fifth deaths at Lake Tahoe-area resorts this month, following three deaths near Northstar California Resort in Truckee — including a 53-year-old Bay Area man, a 26-year-old Los Angeles man and a 21-year-old San Jose State University student.
The deadliest avalanche in California history killed nine skiers Tuesday. Fifteen backcountry skiers were caught in the avalanche reported in the Castle Peak area near Donner Pass Tuesday morning — a group of tight-knit mothers along with four experienced guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides.
Six of those skiers — one of the guides and five of the clients — survived the avalanche and were rescued. Nine skiers, including three guides, were killed.
The skiers killed were Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs; Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho; Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur; Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon; Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco; Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae; and guides Andrew Alissandratos, 34, of Verdi, Nevada; Nicole “Niki” Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe; and Michael Henry, 30, of Soda Springs.
The National Weather Service issued an avalanche watch for the backcountry areas of the Tahoe Basin through Tuesday morning, saying “High avalanche danger is anticipated” in the area.
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 12:55 PM with the headline "Elk Grove man identified as one of two skiers killed at Heavenly in Lake Tahoe."
