Eight skiers died and another who has yet to be found but is presumed dead after an avalanche near Lake Tahoe, marking California’s deadliest avalanche on record.The avalanche happened in the Castle Peak area of Nevada County around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, hours after the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning that encompassed the area where a group of 11 skiers led by four guides was wrapping up a three-day trip, staying at the Frog Lake huts.All 15 were swept away, and it took several hours before search and rescue crews were able to make it to the site of the avalanche, finding six survivors who made a makeshift shelter amid blizzard conditions.As crews continued their search, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said they found the bodies of eight skiers and determined that the missing ninth skier would not survive, given multiple factors that include the snowstorm and the avalanche.This latest tragedy surpassed the death tolls from both the 1982 Alpine Meadows avalanche that killed seven people and the 1911 Mono County avalanche that wiped out the entire town of Jordan, killing eight people.This latest avalanche was also roughly a mile away from an avalanche in January that killed a snowmobiler.Data from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which has tracked avalanches since 1950, show that avalanches in California have led to 74 deaths since the center began tracking data, not counting the latest case.Castle Peak marks the state’s 57th fatal avalanche since 1950. The Colorado Avalanche Center’s data also lists California as the eighth deadliest state in terms of avalanche fatalities. In the past 75 years, 1,255 people have died in avalanches across the country.Since 2000, about 26 people die a year on average in avalanches in the U.S..See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channelPHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
TRUCKEE, Calif. —
Eight skiers died and another who has yet to be found but is presumed dead after an avalanche near Lake Tahoe, marking California’s deadliest avalanche on record.
The avalanche happened in the Castle Peak area of Nevada County around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, hours after the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning that encompassed the area where a group of 11 skiers led by four guides was wrapping up a three-day trip, staying at the Frog Lake huts.
All 15 were swept away, and it took several hours before search and rescue crews were able to make it to the site of the avalanche, finding six survivors who made a makeshift shelter amid blizzard conditions.
As crews continued their search, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said they found the bodies of eight skiers and determined that the missing ninth skier would not survive, given multiple factors that include the snowstorm and the avalanche.
This latest tragedy surpassed the death tolls from both the 1982 Alpine Meadows avalanche that killed seven people and the 1911 Mono County avalanche that wiped out the entire town of Jordan, killing eight people.
This latest avalanche was also roughly a mile away from an avalanche in January that killed a snowmobiler.
Data from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which has tracked avalanches since 1950, show that avalanches in California have led to 74 deaths since the center began tracking data, not counting the latest case.
Castle Peak marks the state’s 57th fatal avalanche since 1950.
The Colorado Avalanche Center’s data also lists California as the eighth deadliest state in terms of avalanche fatalities. In the past 75 years, 1,255 people have died in avalanches across the country.
Since 2000, about 26 people die a year on average in avalanches in the U.S..
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel