Eight backcountry skiers have been confirmed dead and one remains missing after a powerful avalanche tore through a guided expedition near Lake Tahoe in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, authorities said Wednesday.
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said the operation has now transitioned from rescue to recovery, with families of the victims notified. The avalanche struck Tuesday morning in the Castle Peak area near Donner Summit, as severe winter weather dumped heavy snow and whipped the region with strong winds.
Emergency responders received a distress call around 11:30 am reporting multiple skiers buried beneath the snow, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. Nearly 50 rescuers were deployed, contending with poor visibility, gale-force winds and ongoing avalanche danger during the search.
Six members of the group were found alive after hours of searching in extreme conditions. Two were hospitalised with injuries; one was discharged Tuesday night, while the other was expected to be released Wednesday, officials said.
The skiers were completing the final stretch of a three-day guided backcountry trip when the avalanche — described as a massive wall of snow, ice and debris roughly the length of a football field — swept across a slope near Castle Peak, a popular but high-risk backcountry destination.
The expedition was organised by Blackbird Mountain Guides, which said it is cooperating fully with investigators. The company had earlier cautioned about unstable snow conditions as a powerful winter storm moved through the Sierra Nevada.
Avalanche specialists said a persistent weak layer within the snowpack was overloaded by fresh snowfall, triggering the deadly slide. At the time, the area was rated 4 out of 5 on the avalanche danger scale, with forecasters warning that both natural and human-triggered avalanches were highly likely.
The wider Lake Tahoe region has been grappling with intense snowfall that forced road closures, disrupted travel along Interstate 80 and sharply increased avalanche risks across backcountry terrain. Officials noted that unlike ski resorts — where controlled detonations are used to manage snow buildup — remote areas remain far more unpredictable and hazardous.
Castle Peak, near Donner Summit, has a history of deadly avalanches. National data show that backcountry travellers account for most avalanche-related deaths in the United States, with roughly 25 to 30 fatalities recorded annually.
The scale of the disaster — involving a large, professionally guided group — has shaken the close-knit backcountry skiing community, highlighting the severe dangers posed by extreme weather and unstable snow conditions, even for experienced adventurers.
