Eight confirmed dead, six survivors located near Tahoe after deadliest avalanche in state history

Eight backcountry skiers were killed in the deadliest avalanche in state history Tuesday in the Sierra Nevada near Truckee, authorities said.

Six skiers — one guide and five participants in a three-day backcountry ski expedition — were rescued alive Tuesday, said Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon at a press conference Wednesday morning.

One additional skier remains missing but is presumed deceased as operations have shifted from rescue to recovery, Moon said. The skiers still on the mountain include seven women and two men.

The 15 skiers were caught in an avalanche Tuesday near Castle Peak while returning to the trailhead after a backcountry ski trip. The avalanche occurred north of Interstate 80 near Donner Summit.

“Due to the ongoing challenges of the weather — the avalanche conditions — the effort remains ongoing, as well as our search for the remaining skier,” Moon said. “But the weather is a factor.”

Previously, the deadliest avalanche in state history took place at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort in March 1982, killing seven people.

Tuesday’s avalanche was only a mile away from a separate avalanche that occurred in early January, Moon said.

Finishing a three-day trip with Blackbird Mountain Guides, the skiers had been returning from the Frog Lake Huts near the Castle Peak trailhead close to Interstate 80, an area that is prone to avalanche hazards. Castle Peak is located near Donner Summit heading into Truckee.

“It’s a very remote, rugged area on the north side of the highway there,” Moon said. “It is not a groomed area or a ski resort area.”

The group was made up of four guides and 11 guests, Moon said. Initial reports indicated that there had been 12 guests, but one attendee canceled their trip last minute.

A 911 call came into the Nevada County dispatch center reporting the avalanche around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Moon said. The group of skiers were on the third day of their expedition and were returning to the trail head at the time of the avalanche.

The avalanche was about the length of a football field and was a result of a “persistent weak layer” coated in a thick load of snow, said Chris Feutrier, forest supervisor of the Tahoe National Forest. He added that the “hazard remains high” for avalanches because the weak layer remains and has been recoated with three feet of snow.

The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office organized a joint response with assistance from the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, the Tahoe Nordic search and rescue team and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and search and rescue team, Moon said. The mutual aid effort was coordinated through the California Office of Emergency Services.

On Tuesday, around 50 “highly skilled” rescuers embarked from Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and the Tahoe Donner Alder Creek Adventure Center amid the difficult weather conditions, Moon said. Those conditions — plus remaining “very high” avalanche danger — posed difficulties in the transportation of rescuers and rescue equipment. The rescue teams were sent into the field with “lots of safety plans.”

“Extreme weather conditions, I would say is an understatement. Lots of snow, gale force winds making it impossible to see,” Moon said. “It was very much a slow and steady pace.”

Before arriving at the scene, the rescue teams were aware that six skiers had survived and were in communication with them via iPhone’s SOS feature. Rescuers traveled on a Snowcat to about two miles away from the site, when they had to then ski the rest of the way in due to concerns of another avalanche.

Rescuers were able to make it to the scene around 5:30 p.m., Moon said. They recovered the six survivors, two of whom were not mobile due to injuries they sustained in the avalanche.

While waiting for rescuers, the group of survivors began their own search for their missing trip mates and located three deceased skiers, Moon added.

The survivors include four men and two women and range in age from 30 to 55, Moon said. Of two survivors taken to the hospital, both suffered non-life threatening injuries. One was treated and released Tuesday night, and the other remains there receiving treatment.

Recovery efforts are continuing for the eight deceased skiers who have been located, Moon added. The decedents’ identities and causes of death will be identified by the Placer County morgue. They come from several different states.

“They’re still reeling,” Moon said of the decedents’ families. “I could not imagine what they’re going through.”

One of the decedents is a spouse of one of the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue members, said Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo.

“This has not only been challenging for our community, it’s been a challenging rescue, but it’s also been challenging emotionally for our team and our organization,” Woo said. “We are committed to being here until the end and making sure we make all these recoveries.”

Moon noted that this remains an ongoing incident and facts may continue to change. But they are committed to investigating what happened “not just so we know, but so these families know,” she added.

Woo implored the public to avoid the Sierra Nevada mountains in the coming days due to the storm making its way through.

“Avoid mountain travel. It’s treacherous. Avoid the backcountry,” he said. “Please allow us to focus all of our resources on continuing to recover these bodies for the family and bring them home.”