![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771519993_928_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nOn Sunday, as forecasters warned that the biggest winter storm of the season was headed for California\u2019s High Sierra, a mountain guide company sent 15 people out for a risky backcountry skiing adventure on the slopes above Donner Pass.<\/p>\n
The storm arrived as predicted and by Tuesday morning had dumped several feet of fresh, unstable snow. That\u2019s when the group attempted a perilous escape from the remote Frog Lake huts in a blinding blizzard beneath towering, avalanche-prone slopes.<\/p>\n
A couple of miles from safety, someone in the group \u2014 which included four guides \u2014 saw a wall of snow barreling down from above and yelled, \u201cAvalanche!\u201d according to Rusty Greene, operations captain for the Nevada County Sheriff\u2019s Office. <\/p>\n
In the deadliest avalanche in modern California history, eight of the skiers were killed. One remains unaccounted for and is presumed dead. <\/p>\n
After receiving the initial distress call at 11:30 a.m., dozens of first responders battled through the blizzard on snowcats and skis \u2014 there are no roads into the remote site \u2014 to reach the six survivors at around 5:30 Tuesday evening. <\/p>\n
Two were hospitalized and are expected to recover.<\/p>\n
The eight bodies were still on the mountain as of Wednesday morning because the continuing storm made removing them too risky, officials said.<\/p>\n
Now that the emergency is over and the fates of most of the skiers is known, first responders, professional guides and countless commentators on social media are asking why a guide service \u2014 especially one that trains others in avalanche safety \u2014 would go ahead with the trip in the face of such daunting weather.<\/p>\n
There were \u201clots of forecasts on this storm,\u201d Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said at a news conference Wednesday. \u201cThose are the decisions that the guide company clearly made. We\u2019re still in conversation with them on the decision factors.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company, Blackbird Mountain Guides, based in Truckee, has declined to answer questions about the disaster but sent employees to assist with the rescue effort. A statement on their website refers all inquiries to the Nevada County sheriff.<\/p>\n
Three of the four guides on the trip are among the dead, Moon said.<\/p>\n
One of the dead skiers was married to a member of the Tahoe Nordic rescue team, a volunteer group from Tahoe City that joined in the desperate search.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you can understand, this has not only been challenging for our community … it has also been challenging emotionally for our team,\u201d said Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo. <\/p>\n
At Wednesday\u2019s news conference, Woo begged would-be visitors to stay out of the Sierra Nevada until the storm passes later this week. <\/p>\n
\u201cAvoid mountain travel \u2014 it\u2019s treacherous,\u201d Woo said. \u201cPlease allow us to focus all of our resources on continuing to recover these bodies for the families and bring them home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officials declined to identify any of the victims.<\/p>\n
Nine women and six men were on the expedition. One other client was initially believed to be with the group, but rescuers later learned that the person \u201cbacked out of the trip at the last minute,\u201d Moon said.<\/p>\n
The six found alive \u2014 four men and two women \u2014 ranged from 30 to 55 years old, Moon said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Share via Close extra sharing options <\/p>\n
Other deadly California avalanches include a 1982 avalanche that killed seven at the Alpine Meadows resort in North Lake Tahoe. In 2008, three men were killed by an avalanche near Wrightwood, in the San Gabriel Mountains, while skiing out of bounds near the Mountain High resort.<\/p>\n
Skiing in the backcountry is always more dangerous than at resorts, where professional ski patrollers work tirelessly \u2014 and at substantial risk to themselves<\/a> \u2014 to clear dangerous accumulations of snow from towering peaks and cornices so the snow doesn\u2019t come crashing down on paying customers gliding below.<\/p>\n But in the backcountry, you\u2019re completely on your own.<\/p>\n The website for the Frog Lake huts<\/a>, which are owned by the Truckee Donner Land Trust, warns that the journey from the trailhead to the cabins takes several hours and passes through dangerous avalanche terrain.<\/p>\n The severe winter storm that slammed into the area at the beginning of the week had been predicted long before the trip began. As early as Feb. 11, meteorologists were forecasting a lengthy blizzard dumping 5 feet of snow over several days beginning Sunday.<\/p>\n Continuing with the trip, despite such an ominous forecast, brought a torrent of social media criticism down on the guide company.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone with any basic knowledge or ability to look up weather should know what they\u2019re getting into,\u201d a local named Erica Eng wrote in the comments of the Nevada County Sheriff\u2019s Office\u2019s Facebook announcement of the massive search and rescue effort for the missing skiers.<\/p>\n Others chimed in accusing Blackbird of recklessness and profit-chasing and demanding that the company reimburse taxpayers for the expense of the rescue operations.<\/p>\n Dave Miller owns International Alpine Guides in June Lake, another professional guide service that runs trips to the Frog Lake huts. Until more is known, he declined to speculate on Blackbird\u2019s decision to run the trip during the storm.<\/p>\n But he said the allure of backcountry skiing is undeniable and that clients pay for the access to pristine, uncrowded slopes and comfortable, European-style mountain huts.<\/p>\n The outings are pricey. Blackbird charges more than $1,000 for its three-day trips \u2014 more than the cost of a full-season pass that covers many of California\u2019s best-known commercial ski areas. But the sense of adventure is worth it to a growing number of well-heeled clients.<\/p>\n \u201cFresh powder is a thing of the past at ski resorts,\u201d which have become so crowded that all of the good snow is carved up by other skiers by 9 a.m. after a big storm, Miller said.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember having fresh powder at Palisades Tahoe back in the \u201980s in the middle of the day, but that doesn\u2019t exist anymore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n And then there are the Frog Lake huts, which are modern and cozy, with heat, electricity, beds, bathrooms and a full kitchen. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like the hut system in Europe,\u201d Miller said. \u201cCalifornia doesn\u2019t have any other places quite like that. It\u2019s incredibly comfortable \u2014 way better than camping out in the snow.\u201d<\/p>\n Unless things go horribly wrong.<\/p>\n On top of the already dire forecasts, the Sierra Avalanche Center<\/a>, based in Truckee, issued an ominous warning at 6:29 a.m. on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cTravel in, near, or below avalanche terrain is not recommended today,\u201d the center posted. \u201cA widespread natural avalanche cycle is expected over the next 24 hours. Large avalanches may run through treed areas. If attempting travel today in non-avalanche terrain, be certain that there are no steeper slopes connected to the terrain you are traveling, either above or to the side.\u201d<\/p>\n That warning was still in effect as rescuers raced to the scene to try to help the skiers.<\/p>\n