U.S. Northern California Avalanche Leaves Eight Skiers Dead
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon, speaking at a Wednesday news conference, said the slide struck a group of backcountry skiers near Castle Peak, roughly 2,500 meters northwest of Lake Tahoe, at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time Tuesday.
"The operation had officially shifted from rescue to recovery," Moon told reporters, confirming that families of those involved had already been notified of the grim development. The search for the one still-missing individual, she added, would continue pending weather conditions.
Eight bodies have so far been recovered, with crews working to transport the remains down the mountain for autopsies to establish cause of death. Six survivors were pulled to safety Tuesday evening after search and rescue teams pressed through blizzard conditions for hours. Two of the six required hospital treatment, though neither sustained life-threatening injuries, the sheriff's office said.
All 15 people caught in the avalanche — 11 clients and four guides — were part of an organized excursion run by Blackbird Mountain Guides, a professional backcountry tour company. The group was making its way back to the trailhead at the close of a three-day guided ski trip when the disaster struck, the company said in a statement.
Critically, the Sierra Avalanche Center, a regional forecasting body, had already issued a high avalanche danger warning before the group set out, citing rapid snowfall accumulation, unstable snowpack layers, and powerful winds.
Moon said investigators would scrutinize the company's decision to proceed with the excursion despite that warning being in effect.
As of Wednesday, the Sierra Avalanche Center maintained its high-danger alert, strongly advising against any travel in or near avalanche-prone terrain.
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