'Wild ice' skater and hiker killed in Sierra Nevada accidents are identified

Bay Area News GroupFebruary 8, 2022 at 8:15 a.m.

An ice skater and a hiker who died in Sierra County accidents last weekend have been identified by the county's sheriff's office.

• The skater who fell through the ice Saturday afternoon at Stampede Reservoir was William Smallfield, 72, of Truckee. He was among a group of eight "wild ice" skaters, who seek out frozen rivers and lakes.

Six of them went into the water when the ice cracked, and Smallfield, who was farthest from the rest of the group, disappeared in the lake. His body was recovered Sunday.

One of the group, Laura Kottlowski, told TV station KOVR that all of the skaters had years of experience and that they had measured the thickness of the ice at 3 or 4 inches that morning. She speculated that the warm, sunny weather and wind-driven currents contributed to the weakening of the ice.

Temperatures Saturday at Stampede, northeast of Truckee, reached 52 degrees.

Smallfield was a longtime employee of the ski and snowboard rental chain Tahoe Dave's. His wife was among the group of skaters Saturday, Kottlowski said.

• The hiker who was found dead after going missing on the Sierra Buttes trail Saturday was Samuel Jones, 36, of Truckee.

He and his brother became separated as they descended from the 8,600-foot summit above Lakes Basin. On Sunday, he was found dead, having apparently fallen from a ridge above Young America Lake.