Here’s what we know:
- Eight skiers who went missing after a Lake Tahoe avalanche have been found dead, authorities said, making the avalanche the deadliest in modern California history.
- A ninth skier who remains missing is “presumed deceased,” local authorities said.
- The skiers were returning from the Frog Lake backcountry huts when they encountered the avalanche, which was about a football field in length.
- Authorities are looking into a guide company’s decision to take guests on a multi-day excursion to the remote backcountry despite forecasts of heavy snow in the area.
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Deadliest avalanche in modern California history: What we know about the disaster in Tahoe
On Sunday, as forecasters warned that the biggest winter storm of the season was headed for California’s High Sierra, a mountain guide company sent 15 people out for a risky backcountry skiing adventure on the slopes above Donner Pass.
The storm arrived as predicted and by Tuesday morning had dumped several feet of fresh, unstable snow. That’s when the group attempted a perilous escape from the remote Frog Lake huts in a blinding blizzard beneath towering, avalanche-prone slopes.
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Ninth person ‘presumed deceased’ in Tahoe avalanche disaster
The lone person who remains missing following a disastrous avalanche near Lake Tahoe is “presumed deceased,” authorities said Wednesday.
If that ultimately turns out to be the case, the death toll from the avalanche — already the worst in modern California history — would rise to nine.
Authorities are basing their thinking “on the totality, the statements that the group was together and the conditions,” Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said during a press conference Wednesday.
Officials have been able to locate and confirm that eight members of the backcountry ski group were killed in Tuesday’s avalanche, Moon said. Authorities have not yet been able to recover their bodies, given the harsh terrain and continued challenging weather conditions.
Officials have yet to identify the deceased, or the unaccounted-for skier. Here is what we know about who was involved:
- 15 people were on the three-day ski excursion: nine women, six men.
- Four members of the party were guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides. The other 11 were clients.
- Six people, four men and two women, were found and rescued following the avalanche.
- The deceased are believed to be seven women and two men. The gender of the missing skier has not been released.
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Several feet of snow has blanketed the Lake Tahoe area this week, and more is on the way
A powerful winter storm has dropped feet of snow across the Lake Tahoe area in recent days, and forecasters say more is on the way this week.
From Sunday through mid-Wednesday morning, as much as 68 inches of snow had fallen in the area of Homewood, on the western shore of Lake Tahoe, according to the National Weather Service office in Reno.
At the Northstar California Resort, a total of 57 inches was recorded. Since Sunday, 67 inches has fallen at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Laboratory.
In the Tahoe Donner area, about 62 inches of snow has fallen.
Another 1 to 5 inches of snow was expected to fall across the Greater Lake Tahoe area Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service. Much heavier snow is forecast to hit the area Thursday, with up to 14 inches expected in areas 7,000 feet or more above sea level.
That inclement weather forecast continues to be a concern as authorities weigh how, and when, to retrieve the bodies of eight skiers who were killed in an avalanche north of Lake Tahoe Tuesday. One person remains unaccounted for, but is presumed dead.
As of Wednesday morning, rescuers had been pulled from the area until it was safe to return to retrieve the bodies, according to Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon.
“We can have all the resources we want, but if it’s not safe to get to that location we really have to make sure that we’re making the right decisions,” Moon said.
On Wednesday, the Sierra Avalanche Center reported the risk of avalanches remained high in the area. An avalanche warning remains in effect until Thursday morning.
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Spouse of rescue team member among those killed in avalanche
One of the victims of the Lake Tahoe avalanche was married to a member of one of the rescue teams sent out to search the area following the disaster, officials said.
“This has not only been challenging for our community, it’s a challenging rescue, but it’s also been challenging emotionally for our team and organization,” said Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo.
Woo said the victim, whose name has not been publicly released, was married to a member of the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue team — which includes 28 personnel from the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
“This incident has specifically struck this organization,” Woo said.
All told, about 50 rescuers were deployed to the area to search for 15 skiers who went missing after the avalanche hit the area Tuesday, officials said. Six were found and rescued, and eight were confirmed dead. One skier remains unaccounted for.
Woo urged the public to avoid the Sierra so that officials can focus their resources on recovering the missing skier.
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Weather, terrain hinder efforts to retrieve avalanche victims
Officials have not yet been able to retrieve the bodies of the eight people killed in the avalanche, as harsh weather and challenging terrain continue to hamper operations in the area.
The victims — who were all wearing beacons — were located near one another in near-vertical terrain, said Capt. Rusty Greene, operations captain for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
But officials said retrieving their bodies remains a challenge, especially with another storm approaching.
“They were only able to remove the individuals who survived and needed medical care last night,” Greene said.
Greene said the vicinity has been marked with avalanche poles, and an incident command team also remains in the area.
“We also have to take into consideration the longer we have people exposed, the higher we have people in danger,” Greene said.
Authorities are hoping weather conditions will improve to the point that search-and-rescue crews can retrieve the victims.
“We want to make sure that our first responders are safe and they have all the confidence that they can get there,” said Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon.
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More than 500 killed in U.S. avalanches in the last two decades
Over the last 20 years, 510 people died in avalanches nationwide, according to data compiled by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Of those, 26, or 5%, were in California.
The two states with the highest number of avalanche deaths over the last two decades are Colorado, with 120, and Alaska, with 63. Combined, they account for more than a third of avalanche deaths in this period.
The Avalanche Information Center maintains detailed records going back to 1950. According to the data, Tuesday’s avalanche near Lake Tahoe, which killed at least eight people, is one of the deadliest in U.S. history. In 1982, an avalanche at Alpine Meadows in North Lake Tahoe killed seven people. In 1981, 11 climbers died when a glacier collapsed on Mt. Rainier in Washington state.
In the last decade, backcountry touring accounted for 37% of avalanche deaths while snowmobilers accounted for 31%. Climbers once represented a larger share of deaths, making up roughly a quarter of fatalities before 1996.
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Authorities looking into decision to take skiers out despite snow, avalanche risk
Authorities are still looking into a guide company’s decision to take guests on a multi-day excursion to the remote backcountry north of Lake Tahoe, despite forecasts calling for heavy snow in the area.
Four professional ski guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides, a Truckee-based company that also teaches avalanche safety courses, took a group of 11 clients out for a three-day outing to the Frog Lake backcountry huts on Sunday. They were on their way back Tuesday when they were struck by an avalanche about the size of a football field.
The snow forecast for the area was well-known, and Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said authorities are talking to officials at the guide company about their decision to head out to the area, where the risk of avalanches was high.
“Those are the decisions that the guide company clearly had made,” Moon said. “We’re still in conversations with them on the decision factors.”
Moon said officials at Blackbird Mountain Guides have been assisting search-and-rescue efforts, as well as providing information to authorities.
“They also had members arrive at our location when we deployed into the field, and they responded with us,” Moon said. “They wanted to do everything they could to assist.”
Officials at the company have not responded to requests for comment from The Times. A statement on the company’s website said the group was returning to the trailhead at the time of the avalanche, which killed eight people. One person remains unaccounted for.
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Where the skiers went missing
The avalanche that struck a group of 15 skiers in the rugged backcountry north of Lake Tahoe was about a football field in length, said Chris Feutrier, forest supervisor for the Tahoe National Forest.
Feutrier said the avalanche appeared to have occurred after a large load of snow from a recent storm fell atop a persistent weak layer of snow.
During a press conference Wednesday, Feutreir said avalanches remain a risk in the area as rescuers continue to search for one individual who remains unaccounted for.
“That persistent weak layer is still there and reloaded with another 3 feet of snow, so the hazard remains high,” he said.
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Video: Authorities discuss Tahoe avalanche toll
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Hope dims for missing Tahoe skier as efforts shift from rescue to recovery
The search for the lone skier still missing in the Lake Tahoe backcountry has moved from a rescue to a recovery operation, authorities said — a grim development that could boost the death toll of what’s already one of the worst avalanche disasters in modern California history.
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said the family of the missing individual has been notified.
“It’s a difficult conversation to have,” Moon said. “We can’t even imagine the amount of questions and stress that those families are going through.”
Moon said officials are still focusing on recovering the body of the missing skier, but that rough terrain and weather conditions are hindering their efforts.
“Our focus remains on recovering, but the snow and the unsure conditions are creating an issue so that we can safely do that,” Moon said.
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Deadly Tahoe avalanche is the worst in modern California history
With eight people confirmed dead and one still missing, Tuesday’s avalanche near Lake Tahoe is the worst in modern California history.
In 1982, seven people were killed in an avalanche at the Alpine Meadows resort in North Lake Tahoe. In 2008, three men were killed by an avalanche near Wrightwood, in the San Gabriel Mountains, while skiing out of bounds near the Mountain High resort.
Six people were rescued from this week’s avalanche. Five of those who were rescued were clients, and one was a guide.
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Grim details emerge of harrowing search for survivors
About 50 members of a rescue team headed to the Lake Tahoe backcountry to search for the 15 missing skiers and guides and arrived at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon.
Rescuers used snowcat vehicles to approach the area, but because of the continued avalanche risk and the rugged terrain Moon said rescuers had to ski about two miles until they located six survivors. Then, they had to ski two miles back to their equipment to evacuate those who were still alive.
Two of the six survivors were injured to the point they were unable to walk.
“It took us a while to get our equipment to the location before deploying it to the backcountry,” Moon said.
Officials said the six survivors searched for their fellow guides and travelers before rescuers arrived on scene.
“They had themselves started looking for their teammates and their clients that were missing in the avalanche,” Moon said.
They found three dead members of their party, she said.
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Eight skiers found dead after Tahoe avalanche, one still missing
Eight of the nine skiers who went missing following an avalanche in the Lake Tahoe area Tuesday have been found dead, authorities confirmed.
When rescuers reached the team of clients and guides stranded in the rugged backcountry, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said six of the survivors were taking shelter and looking for ways to stay warm. Two of them were unable to move because of injuries suffered during the avalanche, she said.
Five of those who were rescued were clients, and one was a guide.
Moon said officials are still looking for one skier who remains unaccounted for.
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What we know about avalanches
According to the National Parks Service, “an avalanche occurs when a layer of snow looses its grip on a slope and slides downhill.”
Experts have told The Times an avalanche can always be a concern when hiking on steeper slopes in snowy landscapes. The risk can sometimes be higher during or immediately after heavier snowfalls.
Hikers should also be on the lookout for posted notices or red flags warning of areas of a possible avalanche.
The National Avalanche Center lists the following warning signs:
- Recent avalanches indicate that the snowpack is unstable, making it vulnerable to more of the same.
- Signs of unstable snow include cracking or collapsing and whumpfing, or “‘drum-like” sounds.
- Heavy snowfall or rain can make the snowpack unstable for several days.
- Windblown snow is a significant factor in avalanche activity. Avoid cornices and drifts on steep slopes.
- Rain, strong solar radiation or extended periods of temperatures above freezing can cause the avalanche danger to rise.
- Persistent slabs of snow may be triggered to collapse weeks after a storm.
In the last decade, 244 people have died in avalanches in the U.S., according to statistics compiled by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. The vast majority involved people who were skiing, snowboarding or touring in backcountry areas or what is called “sidecountry” — where they ducked ropes or otherwise wandered beyond resort property into adjacent terrain, The Times reported in 2024.
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Skiers were with a guide service when avalanche struck
Blackbird Mountain Guides, a well-known Truckee-based guide service that also teaches avalanche safety courses, ran the fateful outing that began on Sunday.
Blackbird managers did not respond to an email requesting comment Tuesday night. A statement posted on their website said the group was “in the process of returning to the trailhead” when “the incident occurred.”
The website for the Frog Lake huts, which are owned by the Truckee Donner Land Trust, warns that the journey from the trailhead to the cabins takes several hours and passes through dangerous avalanche terrain.
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Rescuers search, amid worsening weather, for 10 skiers caught in Sierra avalanche
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