Rescuers push through gnarly blizzard conditions to reach six backcountry skiers trapped after an avalanche in the Sierra Nevada, while ten others remain unaccounted for.
NEVADA CITY, Calif. — Ski-rescue teams on skis and snowcats battled fierce storms to reach six skiers who were still alive but trapped Tuesday after a powerful avalanche tore through the rugged northern California mountains. The slide left ten more skiers missing as the risk of additional avalanches stayed high.
responders were dispatched to Frog Lake in the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe, after a 911 call around 11:30 a.m. reported an avalanche with people buried as a major winter storm moved across the state.
Hours later, Ashley Quadros, spokesperson for the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, said six skiers had been found and were advised to shelter in place as best they could until rescuers could reach them.
The group was on the final day of a three-day backcountry skiing trip, according to Steve Reynaud, a Tahoe National Forest avalanche forecaster with the Sierra Avalanche Center. Reynaud noted his team had contact with individuals on the ground in the area and explained that the skiers had spent two nights in huts and traversed rugged, mountainous terrain on backcountry skis for up to four miles (about 6.4 kilometers), carrying all food and supplies.
Nevada County Sheriff Captain Russell Greene said authorities were alerted by the guiding company that led the group to Castle Peak and by the emergency beacons the skiers carried.
The skiers remained in touch with officials via their emergency beacons, which can deliver text messages, Greene told KCRA-TV.
“They’re doing the best they can. They’ve taken shelter in a safe spot, rigged a makeshift shelter with a tarp, and are doing everything possible to survive while waiting for rescue,” Greene told the station.
He added that rescuers were approaching the group cautiously because the danger of triggering more avalanches remained high.
“We’ve brought in snowcats, have snowmobiles on standby, and rely on several teams on skis as well. It’s going to be a slow, painstaking process,” he said.
Backcountry conditions are perilous
Blackbird Mountain Guides, the company leading the trip, stated on its website that it was coordinating with authorities on the rescue operation. The group consisted of 12 clients and four guides.
California has been hit hard this week by a potent winter storm bringing treacherous winds, heavy snowfall, and intense thunderstorms to the mountains.
“It’s particularly dangerous in the backcountry right now because we’re at the height of the storm,” said Brandon Schwartz, lead avalanche forecaster for the Sierra Avalanche Center in Truckee.
The center issued an avalanche warning for the Central Sierra Nevada, including the Lake Tahoe region, starting at 5 a.m. Tuesday with the expectation of large slides into Wednesday.
The dangerous conditions stem from rapid snowfall accumulating on a fragile snowpack, aided by gale-force winds.
Several ski resorts around Lake Tahoe were fully or partially closed due to the extreme weather. Resorts along major highways have avalanche mitigation programs and were not expected to be as risky as backcountry routes, where travel in, near, or below avalanche terrain was strongly discouraged, the center said.
A region with a storied past
Castle Peak, standing 9,110 feet (2,777 meters) tall in the Donner Summit area of the Sierra Nevada, is a popular spot for backcountry skiing. Donner Summit, known for its hazardous conditions in deep snow, earned its name from the Donner Party, a group of pioneers who faced cannibalism after getting trapped there in the brutal winter of 1846–1847.
Experts strongly advise training in avalanche assessment, rescue techniques, and safety gear for backcountry skiing (also known as off-piste skiing), which attracts enthusiasts seeking remote, ungroomed wilderness beyond resort borders. Backcountry skiers use wider, heavier equipment and gear designed to handle steep, unprepared terrain, unlike narrow, groomed-cross-country setups.
In nearby Soda Springs, at least 30 inches (76 centimeters) of snow had fallen in the past 24 hours, according to the Soda Springs Mountain Resort.
Forecasters warned that the western Sierra Nevada slope in northern Shasta County—affecting portions of Interstate 5—and parts of the Pacific Coast Range could see as much as 8 feet (about 2.4 meters) of snow before the storm moves out late Wednesday.
The storm disrupted roadways from Sonoma County to the Sierra Nevada. Interstate 80 briefly stopped in both directions near the state line due to spinouts and crashes, according to the California Department of Transportation.
Earlier this winter, an avalanche in the same region buried a snowmobiler and led to a fatality. Each winter, roughly 25 to 30 people in the United States die in avalanches, per the National Avalanche Center.
