Authorities have reported that eight skiers who went missing following an avalanche near Lake Tahoe, California, have been confirmed dead, with one person still unaccounted for as of Wednesday.

During a press briefing, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon announced that the operation has shifted focus from rescue to recovery, and the families have been informed accordingly.

“The group was returning to their campsite when the avalanche struck,” Moon explained. “It took search and rescue teams several hours to locate the initial survivors we’ve mentioned.”

A snow-laden sign during a storm on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, in Truckee, California. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier) (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

This tragic avalanche marks the most lethal in the United States since 1981, when 11 mountaineers lost their lives on Mount Rainier, Washington.

On Tuesday night, six survivors were discovered buried beneath the snow, Moon stated, emphasizing that the weather conditions were “extreme.”

The skiers were on a three-day trek in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada as a monster winter storm pummeled the West Coast. Search and rescue crews were dispatched to the Castle Peak area of the Sierra Nevada after a 911 call reporting the avalanche had buried 15 skiers.

This image provided by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office shows members of a rescue team in Soda Springs, California on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.  (Nevada County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

Heavy snow and the threat of additional avalanches slowed the rescue effort, authorities said. 

Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement said the group, including four guides, was returning to the trailhead when the avalanche occurred.

Pine trees are covered in snow during a storm on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier) (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

“Our thoughts are with the missing individuals, their families, and first responders in the field,” Blackbird said in a statement Wednesday. The company said it is helping authorities in the search.