News broke yesterday of 10 skiers missing in an avalanche near Lake Tahoe. Today, that number was updated to nine. After an extensive operation, six of 15 skiers have been rescued, eight have been located while one remains missing. Recovery efforts are planned to resume when conditions allow. To donate to the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue, click here.
On Tuesday, Feb. 18, 15 skiers were caught in an avalanche just north of Lake Tahoe, California. Six members of the party were found and rescued late Tuesday night (Feb. 17). At the time of publication, eight of the remaining skiers have been found deceased, while one remains missing, presumed dead.
The group involved consisted of four guides from Truckee-based Blackbird Mountain Guides and 11 clients who were on the third and final day of a trip to the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts. The avalanche occurred east of the huts in the Castle Peak area near Donner Pass on their exit.
Following the incident, the six surviving skiers were able to send out S.O.S. signals, kickstarting a rescue operation which joined the forces of the immediate Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and Truckee Fire. The search was aided by the nearby Placer County Sheriff’s Office, Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and Washoe County Search and Rescue.
According to Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon, yesterday afternoon, two teams totaling roughly 50 people, including members of Blackbird Mountain Guides, deployed. Closure of Interstate 80 required snowcats for the southern team to travel up to Donner Pass. They were able to take the cats to within 2 miles of the avalanche site and skinned in the rest of the way. Rescuers arrived on scene at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
Of the six survivors, five were clients, all women, and one was a Blackbird Mountain Guides guide. The total group consisted of nine women and six men, including guides. While waiting for rescuers, survivors were able to locate three buried victims. Two survivors were hospitalized after the rescue due to injuries, both of which have been reported as non-fatal. At the time of publishing, one has been stabilized and released from the hospital.
“Extreme weather conditions I would say is an understatement,” said Moon in a press conference this afternoon, citing heavy snowfall, gale force winds and high avalanche danger which slowed the initial rescue operation. Due to risk from these conditions, the remaining recovery operation has yet to resume.
This incident coincides with heavy snowfall across the western U.S. following a very dry start to the winter leading to dangerous avalanche problems in the Sierra and other ranges. Nearby ski resort Palisades Tahoe reported 6 feet of snow in the last three days, leading to extensive upper mountain terrain closures, while Boreal Mountain Resort, which sits on Interstate 80 close to the accident site, has closed today due to avalanche danger.
This avalanche is now the deadliest in modern California history and one of the deadliest in modern U.S. history. Current information is based off the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office press conference held earlier today, but, as with any ongoing operation, facts may change as more information comes in.
Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved and the greater backcountry ski community during this dark time.
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