Avalanche risk still high in Sierra with nine skiers still missing

Avalanche forecasters are continuing to warn skiers and snowboarders of high risk in the central Sierra Nevada Wednesday, as the fate of nine skiers missing from a major slide remains unknown.

The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office is poised Wednesday morning to release new information about Tuesday’s avalanche. The sheriff’s office said 15 people were involved in the incident, in the backcountry north of Interstate 80. Six people who survived the avalanche were rescued, but nine were still missing as of Tuesday morning after four dozen rescuers trekked into the backcountry, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

The Sierra Avalanche Center said risk was still “high” of dangerous avalanches across different types of terrain on Wednesday. “High” risk is the second-highest level of risk under “extreme.”

“Natural avalanches are likely, and human-triggered avalanches large enough to bury or injure people are very likely,” the Center wrote in an update.

The heavy storm had accumulated new snow on top of weak layers in the snowpack formed by a long, dry spell in January, creating volatile conditions, the Center wrote.

“Travel in or below avalanche terrain is not recommended for today,” the Center wrote.

Heavy snow is forecast for the greater Tahoe region, with up to four inches of fresh snow expected today, according to the National Weather Service.