8 skiers dead, 1 missing after California avalanche, authorities say

Eight of the nine missing skiers caught in an avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range are dead, Sheriff Shannan Moon of Nevada County said on Wednesday.

The skiers went missing on Tuesday after the avalanche swept through the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe, at about 11:30 a.m., according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. They were part of a group of 15 returning from a stay at remote huts just north of Donner Pass. The group included nine women and six men, Moon said.

Six members of the group survived and were rescued after crews battled harsh weather conditions for hours to get to them that evening. Two were taken to hospitals with injuries, the sheriff’s office said. Originally, 10 people were thought to be missing but authorities later updated the number to nine.

The avalanche came as a powerful winter storm battered the region with heavy snow and high winds, the strongest winter storm of the year for the Lake Tahoe area. Interstate 80 was closed over the Donner Pass, and up to 30 inches of snow were reported, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.

“We are actively coordinating additional resources statewide to support avalanche search and rescue efforts to locate missing skiers near Castle Peak,” the California Office of Emergency Services said.

Here is what we know as the search continues:

Skiers were part of a guided trip in the Sierra Nevadas

Truckee-based company Blackbird Mountain Guides said the group of skiers included four guides and clients who were on a three-day trip staying at Frog Lake huts near Castle Peak.

“The group was in the process of returning to the trailhead at the conclusion of a three-day trip when the incident occurred,” Blackbird Mountain Guides said.

The Frog Lake huts are remote structures in an area known for being prone to avalanches and challenging to get to in winter because of the rough conditions. To reach them, visitors must ski, snowboard or snowshoe for miles. All routes to the Frog Lake huts during winter “have some degree of avalanche hazard,” according to the Truckee Donner Land Trust.

Castle Peak is an over 9,000-foot peak in California’s Sierra Nevada range near Donner Summit and is a popular backcountry skiing destination.

Skiers are advised to carry a beacon in case of avalanche

The Truckee Donner Land Trust advises all visitors to the Frog Lake huts to carry a beacon, probe and shovel in the winter in case of avalanche.

Avalanche beacons or transceivers can help emergency responders locate somebody buried in an avalanche by sending a radio signal, according to the National Avalanche Center.

Skiers should wear their beacon on their person, and keep it in send/transmit mode. In this mode, it will send a constant signal. If somebody in a group becomes buried and lost, others can switch their beacons to search mode and to find the signal, which will get stronger the closer they are.

Avalanche risk continues in the mountains

The risk of avalanches remained high on Wednesday, and an avalanche warning was in place in the Lake Tahoe area through at least Thursday, according to the U.S. Forest Service Sierra Avalanche Center.

“Rapidly accumulating snowfall, weak layers in the existing snowpack, and gale-force winds that blow and drift snow have created dangerous avalanche conditions in the mountains,” the center said on Wednesday. “Natural avalanches are likely, and human-triggered avalanches large enough to bury or injure people are very likely.”

The center said the Tuesday avalanche happened at an elevation of about 8,200 feet in the Castle Peak area. The avalanche was rated D2.5, indicating a “large” to “very large” slide capable of burying or seriously injuring a person.