An avalanche that tore through a popular backcountry skiing area near Lake Tahoe has left eight people dead, marking what officials are calling the deadliest avalanche in modern California history. One skier remains missing as rescue crews battle dangerous snow conditions in the northern Sierra Nevada.
Authorities in Nevada County confirmed during a Wednesday news conference that eight of the nine skiers reported missing after Tuesday’s slide near Castle Peak have been found dead. The group had been part of a guided backcountry expedition when the avalanche struck.
What Happened
The 15-person group — which included four professional guides — was on a three-day backcountry skiing tour near Frog Lake huts, outside Truckee, California. The skiers were returning to the trailhead Tuesday morning when the avalanche hit.
Six members of the group survived and were able to activate emergency equipment to alert rescuers. Two of the survivors were hospitalized after being evacuated. One of the rescued individuals was a guide with Blackbird Mountain Guides, the company that organized the tour. The other five were clients.
The group included nine women and six men, according to Sheriff Shannan Moon of Nevada County. Survivors ranged in age from 30 to 55 years old.
Search and rescue crews are continuing efforts on Wednesday near California's Lake Tahoe after several skiers were unaccounted for after an avalanche. Six backcountry skiers survived but nine remain missing, authorities said.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 18, 2026
CBS News' Matt Gutman is about three miles away from… pic.twitter.com/kDbSY8V8Jg
Avalanche Measured the Length of a Football Field
Officials said the avalanche that buried the skiers stretched roughly the length of a football field, underscoring the scale of destruction. Chris Feutrier, supervisor of the Tahoe National Forest, warned that conditions remain highly unstable.
“The hazard remains high,” Feutrier said, cautioning that additional slides are still possible.
Rescue teams — nearly 90 searchers at one point — worked through heavy snowfall and strong winds. Despite calmer skies Wednesday morning, authorities emphasized that shifting snow and avalanche risks continue to complicate recovery efforts.
Why Conditions Were So Dangerous
The region had been under a Backcountry Avalanche Watch issued by the Sierra Avalanche Center due to rapid snowfall and powerful winds.
In the 48 hours before the avalanche, nearly three feet of snow accumulated near Donner Peak, close to Castle Peak. In some areas, snowfall totals exceeded 60 inches since Sunday, according to meteorologists.
Wind gusts reportedly topped 100 miles per hour along Sierra ridge lines, creating unstable snow layers.
Experts say weeks of fluctuating temperatures earlier in winter had already created a fragile base layer of “faceted” snow crystals — often compared to a stack of unstable dominoes. When heavy new snow piled on top, it created the perfect storm for a slab avalanche.
Under such conditions, even a single skier can trigger a collapse in the lower snowpack, sending tons of snow rushing downhill.
Avalanche Warnings Were Issued Before the Expedition
Forecasters had warned that avalanche danger was high and likely to worsen with incoming storms. Avalanche experts had even triggered small test slides earlier in the week while surveying the snowpack.
The deadly event has raised questions about why the expedition proceeded amid escalating weather alerts.
Blackbird Mountain Guides had posted a video days earlier referencing unstable snow layers in the region. Industry experts note that even experienced teams can encounter rapidly changing mountain conditions.
“Mountain environments are dynamic and even experienced teams face rapidly changing conditions that are hard to predict,” said Jenny Fellows, a longtime ski training center founder.
Castle Peak: A Popular but Challenging Backcountry Destination
Castle Peak, rising just over 9,100 feet, is a well-known backcountry skiing area easily accessed from Interstate 80 near Donner Summit. It sits roughly 90 miles east of Sacramento and about 40 miles west of Reno.
The Frog Lake Backcountry Huts, where the group had stayed, have been in high demand since opening in late 2021. The area is especially busy during Presidents Day week, when many Northern California schools observe winter break — often referred to locally as “ski week.”
Though ski resorts nearby operate avalanche mitigation programs, backcountry terrain remains uncontrolled and inherently risky.
Search Efforts Continue
Sheriff Moon said weather remains the greatest obstacle.
“Due to the ongoing challenges of the weather and avalanche conditions, the effort remains ongoing, as well as our search for the remaining skier.”
Officials indicated that, given the conditions and time elapsed, recovery — rather than rescue — is the likely focus.
The Sierra Avalanche Center’s warning remains in effect through Thursday morning, with up to 18 additional inches of snow possible at higher elevations.
Avalanche Safety Reminders
Backcountry skiers typically carry critical safety gear, including:
- Avalanche beacons (to transmit location signals)
- Probes (to locate buried victims)
- Shovels (to dig through compacted snow)
- Emergency packs with first aid and survival supplies
Some advanced backpacks include deployable airbags designed to help keep a skier near the surface during a slide.
Experts stress that equipment alone is not enough — training, constant monitoring of avalanche forecasts and conservative decision-making are essential.
Avalanches claim 25 to 30 lives annually in the United States, according to national safety organizations.
A Tragic Milestone
As the Sierra Nevada reels from one of its most severe winter storms in years, this disaster stands as a grim reminder of the unpredictable power of mountain terrain.
With one skier still missing and conditions remaining volatile, the focus now shifts to completing recovery efforts — and understanding the chain of weather, terrain and decisions that led to California’s deadliest avalanche in modern history.
