7-Eleven owner killed in avalanche

By Susan Wood, Tribune staff writer

Distraught 7-Eleven workers in South Lake Tahoe are grieving the death of their boss -- local philanthropist and Highway 50 store owner Louis Magnotti.

The 43-year-old Zephyr Cove resident, who grew up in New York, died Saturday when his snowmobile was caught in an avalanche in Charity Valley off Blue Lakes Road in Alpine County near Nipple Peak.

It was the first avalanche-related fatality involving a snowmobile reported in the county, the sheriff's department reported.

Magnotti, who had lived in the basin for a decade, was pronounced dead when rescuers pulled his body out at 11:15 p.m., almost five hours after deputies received the call.

The slab avalanche, stretching 500 feet wide and 1,000 feet long, swept Magnotti 600 feet down the slope. He was buried under about 5 feet of snow, 15 feet away from his snowmobile, Alpine County sheriff's deputies said.

"It didn't look like a loose area, but you can't trust the backcountry right now," dispatcher Dan Doyal said. Doyal also saw a large slide occur in the Lost Lakes area in the last week.

Witnesses described to deputies a scene in which Magnotti was engulfed in a cloud of boiling snow. The other snowmobilers escaped without injury. One man came off the hill to Lake Tahoe Winter Sports in Meyers, where he enlisted the help of owner Ari Makinen. The search and rescue crew member called authorities and assisted by offering equipment in the recovery effort.

"I knew it was too late. By the time he got to me 55 minutes had gone by," said Makinen, who described the snowmobiler as frantic.

SAR teams with Alpine and El Dorado counties, along with Lake Valley and Woodfords fire departments were called out to the scene, where 40 volunteers assisted in the search.

The area along Blue Lakes Road east of Carson Pass is popular with snowmobilers.

The U.S. Forest Service last week issued an avalanche warning for the east slopes of the Sierra Nevada between Sonora and Yuba passes. The advisory was rated moderate, the second lowest of five categories. It urges backcountry travelers to be cautious around snow-covered open slopes and gullies.

Most avalanches occur on 30- to 40-degree slopes, and about half of the victims die. Slab avalanches are considered more dangerous than loose slides.

Despite the warning, tour companies like Makinen's will operate as they normally do.

"It's never been a big concern with where we go. But it's something people should likely test," Makinen said.

7-Eleven Assistant Manager Clyde Lowe rode up to the site late that night in shock with five co-workers and friends of Magnotti.

"I loved him. As far as we're concerned, he was a good man. He was always doing for people," Lowe said, his voice cracking.

He recalled the impression Magnotti made on him when he got his dog, Shorty, out of the animal control facility. Lowe, who has known Magnotti for five years, was barely two months on the job at the convenience store. Magnotti, who had dogs himself, took the store over eight years ago.

The two men had worked together at Harveys Resort Casino. Magnotti worked in the slots department and Lowe was a dinner cook.

"He took me under his wing," Lowe said.

Lowe wasn't the only one who benefited from Magnotti's generosity.

Magnotti loaned his boat and cooked spaghetti for the children who visited every summer at the Muscular Dystrophy Association camp near Stateline.

"And, we're going to do it again this year," Lowe said.