Emergency teams navigated treacherous mountain terrain through blizzard conditions to reach six backcountry skiers who lived through an avalanche near Lake Tahoe, though nine members of their group are still unaccounted for.
According to Nevada County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ashley Quadros, two of the rescued skiers required hospital care following their ordeal.
Officials corrected earlier reports Tuesday evening, confirming 15 skiers were part of the expedition, not the initially reported 16.
Emergency responders rushed to Frog Lake in the Castle Peak region, located northwest of Lake Tahoe, following a 911 emergency call about an avalanche with people buried beneath the snow. The incident occurred as a fierce winter storm battered California.
Harsh mountain conditions in Northern California significantly hampered rescue operations. Teams spent multiple hours navigating to the trapped skiers and transporting them to safety, where Truckee Fire Department personnel conducted medical evaluations.
County sheriff officials announced they will share additional details about ongoing rescue operations during a Wednesday morning press briefing.
Final Day of Mountain Adventure
The group was completing their final day of a three-day wilderness skiing adventure, according to Steve Reynaud, an avalanche specialist with the Sierra Avalanche Center who maintained communication with personnel at the scene. Reynaud explained the skiers had spent two nights in mountain shelters during an expedition requiring navigation through challenging mountain landscape for distances up to 4 miles while carrying all necessary provisions and gear.
Nevada County Sheriff Captain Russell Greene reported authorities learned of the avalanche through both the tour operator, Blackbird Mountain Guides, and emergency locator devices carried by the skiers. Rescue teams approached the avalanche site with extreme caution due to continued avalanche risks.
Blackbird Mountain Guides posted a statement on their website confirming their cooperation with authorities in the rescue mission.
Extreme Mountain Hazards
California faces severe weather this week from an intense winter storm system delivering dangerous thunderstorms, powerful winds, and substantial mountain snowfall.
“Backcountry conditions are extremely hazardous right now because we’re experiencing the storm’s peak intensity,” explained Brandon Schwartz, the primary avalanche specialist for Tahoe National Forest at the Sierra Avalanche Center in Truckee.
The center issued avalanche alerts for Central Sierra Nevada areas, including the greater Lake Tahoe vicinity, beginning Tuesday at 5 a.m. with expectations of major slides continuing through Wednesday.
Soda Springs, located close to the avalanche site, measured over 30 inches of snowfall in a single 24-hour span, based on data from Soda Springs Mountain Resort.
The hazardous situation resulted from rapidly building snow accumulation on unstable underlying snow layers, combined with powerful winds.
The storm created widespread transportation problems from the Sierra Nevada mountains to Sonoma County. Interstate 80 traffic was temporarily stopped in both directions over and around Donner Summit because of vehicle spinouts and collisions.
Multiple Tahoe area ski facilities closed completely or partially due to weather conditions. Resort areas along major highways maintain avalanche prevention programs and faced lower risk compared to wilderness areas, where the center strongly advised against any travel in or near avalanche-prone terrain.
Location’s Tragic Past
Castle Peak, standing 9,110 feet tall north of Donner Summit, attracts many wilderness skiing enthusiasts. The peak takes its name from the notorious Donner Party, pioneer travelers who turned to cannibalism after becoming stranded in the area during the harsh winter of 1846-1847.
This past January, an avalanche in the same region trapped and killed a snowmobile rider, officials reported. The National Avalanche Center reports that avalanches claim 25 to 30 lives annually across the United States.
Avalanche safety training and specialized rescue equipment are strongly recommended for wilderness skiing, also called off-piste skiing, which involves traveling into remote wilderness areas far beyond resort boundaries. Wilderness skiing equipment features wider, heavier skis designed for ascending and descending ungroomed mountain terrain, unlike cross-country skis that are narrower and built for flatter, maintained trails.
