Lake Tahoe Avalanche Kills 8 Skiers, Leaves 1 Missing

Eight skiers are dead and one is still missing after a massive avalanche hit near Lake Tahoe in California. The skiers were on their way back to camp when disaster struck. It took search and rescue crews hours to find the first survivors, and even then, it was a grim discovery.

A Deadly Winter Storm

The avalanche is the deadliest in the US since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier, Washington. Six survivors were found Tuesday night, buried in the snow. The weather conditions were extreme, with heavy snow and the threat of additional avalanches slowing down the rescue effort.

The skiers were on a three-day trek in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada when the monster winter storm pummeled the West Coast. A 911 call reporting the avalanche had buried 15 skiers prompted search and rescue crews to rush to the Castle Peak area.

A Company’s Thoughts

Blackbird Mountain Guides, the company that organized the trek, said the group, including four guides, was returning to the trailhead when the avalanche occurred. ‘Our thoughts are with the missing individuals, their families, and first responders in the field,’ the company said in a statement.