An avalanche near California’s Lake Tahoe in the Castle Peak area left eight dead Tuesday morning, with one person still missing, officials said Wednesday. It is the deadliest such incident in the country since 1981, when 11 climbers lost their lives on Mount Rainier in Washington state.
Rescue teams, according to the AP agency, discovered the bodies of eight cross-country skiers, while they continued to search for the ninth.
Six people were pulled to safety about six hours after the avalanche struck, just as they were wrapping up a three-day trek through Northern California’s Sierra Nevada amid a powerful winter storm. Authorities said four guides were part of the expedition, three of whom reportedly died. The group consisted of men and women between the ages of 30 and 55.
At 6:49 a.m. that day, the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche watch warning that large avalanches were expected within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Hours before the avalanche hit, the center raised the warning from a watch to a warning, signaling that avalanches were likely. It was unclear whether the guides were aware of the updated warning before heading out of the backcountry.
What did the Nevada County Sheriff say?
“Someone saw an avalanche, yelled ‘Avalanche!’ and it overtook them fairly quickly,” Capt. Russell “Rusty” Green of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office was quoted as saying by the AP.
Greene said the victims were found relatively close together, but rescue teams have not yet been able to get them down the mountain due to bad weather.
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said investigators will look into why the group decided to continue their journey Sunday despite weather warnings. With one person still missing, authorities have shifted their focus from rescue efforts to rescue operations, Moon said.
Officials also said they were delaying releasing the names of the victims to allow time to notify their families. Moon mentioned, “They’re still spinning,” adding, “I couldn’t imagine what they’re going through.”
A rescue team leaves for the scene of an avalanche on the backslope of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, where a group of skiers were stranded, in Nevada County, California, U.S. on February 17, 2026, in this still video image. (Nevada County Sheriff’s Office/Handout via REUTERS)(via REUTERS)
3 to 6 feet (0.9 to 1.8 meters) of snow has fallen since Sunday. The area also experienced sub-freezing temperatures and gale-force winds. According to the Sierra Avalanche Center, the risk of more avalanches remained until Wednesday, making snowpack unstable and difficult to predict in the rugged region known for its steep, rocky cliffs.
Rescue crews navigating dangerous conditions relied on locator beacons and cell phone signal to find their way.
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Greene said all the skiers were equipped with locator beacons that transmit signals to rescuers, and at least one guide was able to send text messages. But it was unclear whether they had avalanche airbags — inflatable bags designed to help skiers stay closer to the surface during a slide.
As they waited to be rescued, the survivors used their equipment to create shelter and protect themselves from the sub-freezing temperatures. During that time, they discovered three others who died, Moon said.
According to the sheriff, rescuers traveled by snowmobile to a distance of about 2 miles (3.2 km) away from the group, then continued on skis, moving carefully to avoid triggering another avalanche.
Moon added that one of the rescued individuals was still hospitalized on Wednesday.
Read also | 10 skiers have disappeared after an avalanche at California’s Lake Tahoe
Greene said authorities were alerted to the avalanche by Blackbird mountain guides who were leading the trip, as well as signals from skiers’ emergency beacons. The sheriff’s office said Tuesday night that 15 backcountry skiers were on the excursion, Moon said.
According to Steve Reynaud, an avalanche forecaster with the Sierra Avalanche Center, the group was in the backcountry on the last day of their tour and spent two nights in mountain lodges.
Access to the lodges in winter takes several hours and requires advanced backcountry skills, avalanche training and proper safety equipment. Blackbird said the trip was designed for intermediate to advanced skiers.
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The area near Donner Summit was closed to the public for nearly a century before being reopened in 2020 by the Truckee Donner Land Trust and its partners. Donner Summit is named after the infamous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who were stranded there during the winter of 1846-1847 and resorted to cannibalism.
Meanwhile, this was the second fatal avalanche near California’s Castle Peak this year, following an incident in January in which a snowmobile was buried.
(With agency input)