Here’s what you need to know about the Sierra Nevada Avalanche
This is what we know about the tragic Castle Peak avalanche near Lake Tahoe that killed eight skiers during a powerful winter storm
Crews have resumed efforts to recover victims of the deadliest avalanche in the United States since 1981.
On Friday, February 20, they flew a helicopter over the disaster site to assess avalanche danger and snow depth. Explosives were then detonated and began to trigger smaller avalanches to prevent another catastrophic avalanche, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said.
“These proactive measures are intended to reduce the risk of naturally occurring avalanches and increase the safety of first responders within the affected area, potentially allowing victims to be rescued with lower risk,” the sheriff’s office said.
Since the February 17 avalanche, the bodies of the victims have remained at the disaster site due to dangerous and difficult weather conditions, including the risk of further avalanches. Eight people died, and a ninth person is believed to have died. There were six survivors of the avalanche near Castle Peak, just northwest of Lake Tahoe in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Authorities have closed the Castle Peak area to the public until March 15 due to the danger.
“For their safety and the safety of first responders, it is important that unauthorized persons do not enter the area,” the sheriff’s office said. “Unauthorized individuals entering the area can negatively impact recovery efforts to safely retrieve loved ones.”
The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for an expected timeline for recovery.
The avalanche struck 15 backcountry skiers (11 paying guests and four guides) who were participating in the final day of a three-day adventure that cost more than $1,100 per person. The trip went ahead despite dire warnings about the storm expected to bring up to 8 feet of fresh snow and create “very dangerous” avalanche conditions.
The dead included three “experienced” guides from California-based Blackbird Mountain Guides, which organized the trip, said company founder Zeb Brace.
In a statement to USA TODAY, the families of the six victims, all married mothers, said there were “many unanswered questions” and that their loved ones were “seasoned backcountry skiers with a deep respect for the mountains.”
“They were trained and prepared for the outback trip and trusted their professional guides for this trip,” the family said.
Nevada County Sheriff Shanann Moon said at a Feb. 18 press conference that authorities are investigating the “full scope” of the tragedy. This includes finding out why the trip was not cancelled.
“There are a lot of forecasts out there about this storm,” President Moon said. “These are obviously decisions made by the guide companies. We’re still talking to them about the deciding factors that they made.”
