At least eight people have died and one remains missing after a massive avalanche in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Northern California. The incident occurred on Tuesday near Lake Tahoe when a group of fifteen skiers was swept away by snow masses during an extreme snowstorm. Rescuers managed to save six people, but brutal weather conditions and the threat of further avalanches significantly hampered the search and rescue operation.

Deadliest Toll in Decades

8 skiers died and one is missing, making this event the bloodiest in California in over 40 years.

Difficult Rescue Operation

Rescuers on skis had to battle through a blizzard and gale-force winds to reach 6 survivors.

Academy Connections

The victims were connected to the prestigious Sugar Bowl Academy in Norden, which has shaken the local skiing community.

The catastrophic avalanche that struck the Castle Peak area near Truckee has become the deadliest such event in California in over 40 years. The group of 15, consisting of 11 clients and 4 professional guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides, was on a three-day high-mountain expedition. Snow masses the length of a football field struck on Tuesday around 11:30 local time. According to witness accounts, the skiers had mere seconds to react after a warning shout from one of the participants. Rescue services, despite extremely difficult atmospheric conditions and gusty winds, managed to reach six survivors, one of whom was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The Sierra Nevada mountains are among the areas with a high avalanche risk in the USA, and the deadliest incident in California's history occurred in 1982 at the Alpine Meadows resort, where seven people died. The current tragedy, with eight confirmed victims, surpasses those statistics, becoming one of the darkest days in the history of American skiing. Local authorities, led by Sheriff Shannan Moon of Nevada County, announced on Wednesday that the operation had changed from rescue to body recovery. The ninth skier is presumed dead, due to the force of the avalanche impact and the time elapsed since the accident. The situation was worsened by additional snowfall, which amounted to nearly a meter within 24 hours of the event, preventing the safe evacuation of the victims' bodies. Among the deceased are individuals connected to Sugar Bowl Academy, an elite ski school in Norden. Investigators are currently examining why the expedition continued despite earlier warnings of a high avalanche danger level throughout the region. „Someone saw the avalanche, shouted, and then the snow masses caught up with them very quickly.” — Russell Greene Over 50 rescuers were involved in the operation, including volunteers from nearby ski resorts such as Boreal Mountain and Tahoe Donner. Interstate 80, the region's main artery, remained closed due to the blizzard, forcing rescuers to reach the tragedy site on skis. Specialists from the Sierra Avalanche Center emphasize that rapid temperature fluctuations and record snowfall created an extremely unstable snowpack, leading to this unprecedented tragedy. Fatalities: 8, Survivors: 6, Missing: 144 years — the longest period without such a tragic avalanche in this region Liberal media place greater emphasis on the issue of climate change causing extreme snowstorms and the need to regulate commercial expeditions. | Conservative media highlight the heroism of rescuers and the issue of individual responsibility of skiers deciding to go into the mountains.

Mentioned People

  • Shannan Moon — Sheriff of Nevada County in California, overseeing the search operation and informing about the victims.
  • Russell Greene — Captain of rescue services, who reported on the course of the event and the moment of the avalanche impact.