Tragedy struck California’s Sierra Nevada mountains as an avalanche claimed the lives of eight skiers, with one individual still unaccounted for. According to authorities, this has become one of the most fatal single avalanches in U.S. history.

Earlier this week, rescuers managed to save six individuals amidst a severe winter storm that blanketed the high Sierra with several feet of fresh snow. The group included one man and five women, who were fortunate to survive the ordeal.

The avalanche occurred in the Castle Peak region near Truckee, California, roughly 16 kilometers north of Lake Tahoe. It struck around 11:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, catching a group of backcountry skiers by surprise.

During a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon revealed that one of the rescued skiers is currently hospitalized with injuries that are not life-threatening.

The survivors had ingeniously created a temporary shelter using a tarp and were able to maintain communication with rescuers through a radio beacon and text messages.

In response to the crisis, approximately 50 skilled rescuers were deployed from both the south and north. Sheriff Moon described the conditions they encountered as “extreme,” with blinding snow and powerful winds. The rescue team utilized a snowcat vehicle to get within 3.2 kilometers of those stranded before skiing the rest of the way to reach them.

One of the deceased skiers was married to a member of the area’s search-and-rescue team, authorities said.

The group of skiers was finishing a three-day excursion with Blackbird Mountain Guides. The tour group included four guides and 11 clients, who stayed at the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts located near Donner Summit, north-west of Truckee, at about 2,300m elevation.

In a typical winter, the mountain receives more than 10m of snow, making it one of the snowiest places in the western hemisphere.

Blackbird was founded in 2020 and operates in California, Washington state and British Columbia as well as numerous popular skiing spots abroad, according to its website. The company provides guided ski trips, alpine climbing trips and avalanche education.

The Sierra Avalanche Center’s avalanche warning, which it issued on Tuesday, remained in effect on Wednesday morning.

“HIGH avalanche danger might continue through the day on Wednesday,” the agency said.

Avalanches have claimed an average of 27 lives each winter in the US over the past decade, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which had tallied six US avalanche fatalities so far this season.

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