Rescue teams battled through rugged terrain near Lake Tahoe amid a snowstorm to reach six backcountry skiers who had survived an avalanche but were left stranded in heavy snow and ice, as reported by the Associated Press.
Nine other members of their group were still unaccounted for, the report stated.
According to Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, two of the rescued skiers were transported to a hospital for medical care.
The sheriff’s office said Tuesday night that there were 15 skiers on the trip, not 16 as initially believed.
Search and rescue teams were sent to Frog Lake in the Castle Peak region, northwest of Lake Tahoe, after a 911 call reported an avalanche with people trapped beneath the snow. At the time, a strong winter storm was sweeping across California, AP reported.
Severe weather in the mountains of Northern California hampered the rescue operation, delaying crews for several hours before they were able to reach the stranded skiers and bring them to safety. Once rescued, the skiers were assessed by the Truckee Fire Protection District.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said it plans to share another update on the rescue efforts during a news conference on Wednesday morning, AP reported.
A three-day ski trip
The group was on the final day of a three-day backcountry skiing trip, according to Steve Reynaud, an avalanche forecaster for Tahoe National Forest with the Sierra Avalanche Center, who was in communication with individuals at the scene, AP reported.
He said the skiers spent two nights at huts on a trip that required navigating “rugged mountainous terrain” for up to 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) while bringing along all food and supplies.
Nevada County Sheriff Capt. Russell Greene said authorities were notified about the avalanche by the ski tour company that led the expedition, Blackbird Mountain Guides, and by emergency beacons the skiers were carrying. Rescuers made their way cautiously toward the scene of the avalanche because of the danger of more avalanches, as reported by AP.
Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement on its website that it was coordinating with authorities on the rescue operation.
Dangerous backcountry conditions
California is being battered this week by a powerful winter storm that has unleashed dangerous thunderstorms, strong winds and significant snowfall in mountainous regions.
“It’s particularly dangerous in the backcountry right now just because we’re at the height of the storm,” said Brandon Schwartz, Tahoe National Forest lead avalanche forecaster at the Sierra Avalanche Center, based in Truckee.
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, cautioning that large avalanches were likely to continue through Wednesday.
The town of Soda Springs, near where the avalanche took place, recorded at least 30 inches (76 centimeters) of snow during a 24-hour period, according to the Soda Springs Mountain Resort.
The hazardous situation was driven by fast-building snowfall stacking atop weak layers in the existing snowpack, combined with powerful, gale-force winds.
The storm wreaked havoc on roads from the Sierra Nevada to Sonoma County. Traffic was halted temporarily in both directions on I-80 over and around Donner Summit due to spinouts and crashes, the authorities reported.
Several Tahoe ski resorts were fully or partially closed due to the weather. Resorts along highways have avalanche mitigation programs and were not expected to be at as high of a risk as the backcountry, where travel in, near or below avalanche terrain was strongly discouraged, the center said, as reported by AP.
Area has dark history
Castle Peak, a 9,110-foot (2,777-meter) mountain north of Donner Summit, is a popular backcountry skiing destination. The summit, which can be dangerous in snow, is named for the infamous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after getting trapped there in the winter of 1846–1847.
Authorities said an avalanche in the region in January buried a snowmobiler and claimed his life. On average, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches each winter in the United States, according to the National Avalanche Center.
Training in avalanche awareness, rescue techniques, and proper safety gear is strongly recommended for backcountry skiing—also known as off-piste skiing—which involves traveling deep into the wilderness well beyond resort boundaries.
Backcountry skis are typically wider and heavier, with specialized features that allow skiers to climb uphill and descend on ungroomed terrain. In contrast, cross-country skis are narrower and lighter, designed primarily for flatter, more groomed trails.
