8 confirmed dead near Lake Tahoe, 1 skier still missing though presumed dead

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In what officials are calling one of the deadliest avalanche in the United States in over 40 years, eight backcountry skiers have been confirmed dead and one remains missing after a massive snow slide struck near Castle Peak on Tuesday morning.

However, due to the horrific weather and the time passed, authorities stated that they have shifted to a “recovery” mindset — meaning they are treating the total death toll as nine.

The disaster occurred at around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, as a guided group of 15 people — consisting of 11 clients and four guides — was concluding a three-day excursion. The group, led by Blackbird Mountain Guides, was returning from the remote Frog Lake backcountry huts to the trailhead when they were overtaken by a wall of snow described as being the “length of a football field.”

Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said in a press conference that one of the deceased is a spouse of a member of the Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue Team.

“This has not only been challenging for our community… but it has also been challenging emotionally for our team, and for our organization,” Woo said. 

The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call and emergency beacon signals shortly after the snow slide. However, a “monster” winter storm pummeling the Sierra Nevada made immediate access nearly impossible.

Six individuals managed to survive the initial impact. They reportedly used the iPhone SOS satellite feature to maintain contact with dispatchers and constructed a makeshift shelter using tarps to withstand sub-freezing temperatures and 80 mph winds.

Additionally, nearly 50 rescuers from California and Nevada deployed via Sno-Cats to within two miles of the site before “skinning” in on skis to avoid triggering secondary slides.

Upon arrival at around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, rescuers found the six survivors, who had already managed to locate the bodies of three of their companions.

 

“We did have conversation with the families of the folks that are still outstanding and let them know that our mission went from a rescue to a recovery,” Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon told reporters. “It’s a difficult conversation to have with loved ones.”

“The risk is still as high with the mission moving to a recovery. We want to really make sure that our first response responders are safe,” Moon continued. “We’re all so committed to seeing this through until the end. At this point, I’m going to have to wait for, hopefully, a decent break in the weather and make sure we get every last soul off that mountain.” 

The victims reportedly include seven women and two men. While the six survivors range in age from 30 to 55, the names of the deceased have not yet been released to the public as of Wednesday evening, pending the notification of next of kin.

The catastrophe marks the deadliest avalanche in the U.S. since the 1981 Mount Rainier disaster, which claimed 11 lives.

The Sierra Avalanche Center had issued a “High” avalanche warning, Level 4 out of 5, just hours before the group attempted their exit. Recent snowfall had also dumped over 40 inches in parts of the region, creating a highly unstable and “unpredictable” snowpack.

Sheriff Moon indicated that investigators would be looking into the decision to proceed with the trip despite the dire weather forecasts. For now, search efforts for the final missing skier remain hampered by continued heavy snow and gale-force winds.

Overview	Details
Total in Group	15 – 4 guides and 11 customers
Confirmed Dead	8
Missing	1 (But presumed deceased)
Rescued	6 (2 hospitalized)
Location	Castle Peak / Donner Summit area