Rescue teams battled through rough terrain near Lake Tahoe amid a snowstorm to reach six backcountry skiers who survived an avalanche but remained trapped in heavy snow and ice, the Associated Press reports.
Nine other members of their group were still missing, the report said.
According to Ashley Quadros, spokeswoman for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, two of the rescued skiers were taken to a hospital for medical treatment.
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The sheriff’s office said Tuesday night that 15 skiers were on the trip, not 16 as originally thought.
Search and rescue teams were dispatched to Frog Lake in the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe, after a 911 call reported an avalanche with people trapped under the snow. A strong winter storm swept through California at the time, the AP reported.
The rescue operation was hampered by severe weather in the mountains of Northern California, which delayed crews for several hours before they were able to reach the stranded skiers and bring them to safety. After being rescued, the skiers were assessed by the Truckee Fire Protection District.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said it plans to share more updates on the rescue effort during a news conference Wednesday morning, the AP reported.
Three-day ski trip
The group was on the last day of a three-day backcountry ski trip, according to Steve Reynaud, an avalanche forecaster for the Tahoe National Forest with the Sierra Avalanche Center, who communicated with individuals on site, the AP reported.
He said the skiers spent two nights in lodges on the trip, which required navigating “rough mountainous terrain” of up to 4 miles (6.4 kilometers), taking all their food and supplies with them.
This image from video provided by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office shows a rescue ski team entering an avalanche area on February 17, 2026 in the Castle Peak area of Truckee, California. Rescuers were searching Tuesday for ten skiers who were caught in an avalanche in the mountains of California, where a huge storm dumped several feet of snow. (Photo: HANDOUT / Nevada County Sheriff’s Office / AFP) (AFP)
Nevada County Sheriff Capt. Russell Greene said authorities were notified of the avalanche by the ski touring company leading the expedition, Blackbird Mountain Guides, and by emergency beacons carried by the skiers. Rescuers cautiously went to the avalanche site due to the danger of further avalanches, as reported by the AP.
In a statement on its website, Blackbird Mountain Guides said it was coordinating the rescue operation with authorities.
Dangerous backcountry conditions
A powerful winter storm is battering California this week, unleashing dangerous thunderstorms, strong winds and heavy snowfall in mountainous areas.
“It’s especially dangerous in the backcountry right now because we’re at the height of the storm,” said Brandon Schwartz, Tahoe National Forest’s senior avalanche forecaster at the Truckee-based Sierra Avalanche Center.
The center issued an avalanche warning for parts of the central Sierra Nevada, including the greater Lake Tahoe area, effective at 5 a.m. Tuesday, warning that large avalanches were likely to continue into Wednesday.
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The town of Soda Springs, near where the avalanche occurred, saw at least 30 inches (76 centimeters) of snow in 24 hours, according to Soda Springs Mountain Resort.
The dangerous situation was caused by rapidly accumulating snow that piled up on weak layers of the existing snowpack combined with strong gale-force winds.
The storm wreaked havoc on roads from the Sierra Nevada to Sonoma County. Traffic was temporarily shut down in both directions on I-80 above and around Donner Summit due to corkscrews and crashes, authorities said.
Several Tahoe ski resorts were partially or completely closed due to the weather. Centers along highways have avalanche mitigation programs and were not expected to be at as high a risk as the backcountry, where travel in, near or under avalanche terrain is strongly discouraged, the center said, according to the AP.
The area has a dark history
Castle Peak, a 9,110-foot (2,777-meter) mountain north of Donner Summit, is a popular backcountry skiing destination. The peak, which can be dangerous in the snow, is named after the infamous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after being trapped there in the winter of 1846-1847.
Authorities said an avalanche in the region buried a snowmobile in January, claiming his life. According to the National Avalanche Center, an average of 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the United States each winter.
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Training in avalanche awareness, rescue techniques, and proper safety equipment is highly recommended for backcountry skiing—also known as off-piste skiing—which involves traveling deep into the wilderness far beyond resort boundaries.
Backcountry skis are typically wider and heavier, with specialized features that allow skiers to go uphill and down rough terrain. In contrast, cross-country skis are narrower and lighter, designed primarily for flatter, more groomed tracks.