__This story was originally published by CalMatters, nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.__ As a popular Tahoe ski resort digs out from a tragedy that killed a skier and buried several others, scientists say predicting how the warming planet will affect avalanches is elusive at best. Just after lifts opened on Wednesday, an avalanche tore through the Palisades Tahoe ski resort, creating a 10-foot-deep debris field that stretched 450 feet long and 150 feet wide. A second one struck in neighboring Alpine Meadows this afternoon, although no one was inj…