California avalanche: Nine skiers still missing, six rescued

Nine skiers were still missing early on Wednesday after an avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, authorities said, but six others from the stranded group have been rescued.

The avalanche swept the Castle Peak area of Truckee, California, about 10 miles north of Lake Tahoe, around 11:30 a.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, engulfing a group of backcountry skiers, according to a Facebook statement posted by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

The rescued skiers had various injuries, and two were sent to a hospital for treatment.

The survivors had taken refuge in a makeshift shelter, constructed partly from tarpaulin sheets, and communicated with rescuers via radio beacon and text messaging.

Authorities have warned that the search for the remaining skiers would be a slow process, with rescue teams contending with dangerous conditions, including the risk of further avalanches. An ongoing winter storm has blanketed the high Sierra with several feet of fresh, unstable snow in recent days.

The Sierra Avalanche Center’s avalanche warning, which it issued on Tuesday, remained in effect on Wednesday morning. “HIGH avalanche danger might continue through the day on Wednesday,” the agency said.

SNOWY REGION

The sheriff’s office revised the number of people in the group to 15 from an earlier estimate of 16.

Blackbird Mountain Guides, the company that organized the tour, said in a statement that the skiers were returning from a three-day excursion when the avalanche struck. The group included four guides and 12 clients, according to the statement, which was issued prior to the sheriff’s revised estimate.

The tour group was staying at the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts located near Donner Summit just northwest of Truckee, at about 7,500 feet. In a typical winter, the mountain receives more than 400 inches of snow, making it one of the snowiest places in the western hemisphere.

Blackbird was founded in 2020 and operates in California, Washington state and British Columbia as well as numerous popular skiing spots abroad, according to its website. Blackbird provides guided ski trips, alpine climbing trips and avalanche education.

Avalanches have claimed an average of 27 lives each winter in the United States over the past decade, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which has tallied six U.S. avalanche fatalities so far this season.

California Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed on the avalanche, and state authorities were “coordinating an all-hands search-and-rescue effort” in conjunction with local emergency teams, his office said in a posting on X.