Eight individuals engaging in backcountry skiing were discovered deceased, with one still unaccounted for and presumed deceased following an avalanche near Lake Tahoe in California, as confirmed by officials on Wednesday. This incident marks the deadliest avalanche in the U.S. in over forty years.
According to Capt. Russell Greene from the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, the eight victims, including three of the four guides accompanying the group, were found in close proximity to each other. The fourth guide was among the survivors. The group consisted of both men and women aged between 30 and 55. Due to severe conditions, the victims have not yet been removed from the mountain.
Authorities are withholding the victims’ identities to allow families time to process the situation. Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon expressed sympathy, acknowledging the families’ immense suffering. Global Affairs Canada stated that, as of the moment, there is no information about any Canadians being involved in the incident.
Six individuals from the same skiing group were rescued on Tuesday, with one still hospitalized the following day. The skiers were part of a guided three-day excursion in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada during a powerful winter storm affecting the West Coast.
Described as the deadliest avalanche in the U.S. since 1981 when 11 climbers perished on Mount Rainier in Washington, search and rescue teams have been navigating challenging conditions since the avalanche occurred on Tuesday morning. Heavy snowfall and the potential for further avalanches have impeded rescue efforts in the Castle Peak region of the Sierra Nevada, situated northwest of Lake Tahoe.
Castle Peak, a 2,777-meter mountain near Donner Summit and a popular backcountry skiing spot, is known for its hazardous conditions, with its summit named after the infamous Donner Party. The snowpack in the area is highly unpredictable and unstable, prompting the Sierra Avalanche Center to issue a warning against travel due to the high risk of avalanches.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office was alerted about the avalanche by Blackbird Mountain Guides, the expedition leaders, and the skiers’ emergency beacons. Initially, it was believed that 16 backcountry skiers were involved, but later clarified to be 15 individuals.
The skiers, who had spent two nights in huts near Frog Lake, were concluding their backcountry skiing trip when the avalanche struck. Blackbird Mountain Guides, in a statement, expressed solidarity with the missing individuals, their families, and the responders in the field, affirming their cooperation with the search efforts.
While several Tahoe ski resorts had to close partially or entirely due to adverse weather conditions, they were considered to be at lower risk compared to the backcountry, where the avalanche occurred. Avalanche-related incidents are not uncommon in the region, with an average of 25 to 30 fatalities annually in the U.S., as reported by the National Avalanche Center.
