Tragedy struck the slopes of Castle Peak Mountain near Lake Tahoe, California, as two sisters were confirmed among those who perished in a devastating avalanche. Caroline Sekar, 45, from San Francisco, and Liz Clabaugh, 52, from Boise, Idaho, were part of a group of 11 skiers caught in the deadly snow slide on a Tuesday morning outing.
Their brother, McAlister Clabaugh, shared the heartbreaking news with The New York Times, highlighting the profound loss. “They were incredible sisters, mothers, wives, and friends,” he expressed. “The thought that they are both gone is indescribable.”
McAlister elaborated on the deep bonds within the ski group, noting that many members had been friends since their days at Stanford University. Over the years, these friends gathered regularly for ski adventures, forging a strong community. “Caroline’s friends, many of whom were on that trip, shared these experiences,” he explained. “Now, a significant part of that community has been lost.”
This tragedy was compounded by the earlier report of another victim, Kate Vitt, a 43-year-old SiriusXM executive and mother of two. Vitt, an alumnus of Boston College, also died in the avalanche, which has left a trail of grief and mourning across multiple communities.
‘A lot of the people on that trip were Caroline’s friends who used to do this together,’ he said. ‘There’s a whole community of people, a lot of whom just lost their lives.’
The news of the sisters’ deaths comes just hours Daily Mail exclusively revealed that SiriusXM executive and mother-of-two Kate Vitt, 43, a Boston College alumnus, was also killed in the rockslide.
It is unclear whether they were connected to the Sugar Bowl Academy, a private, ski-focused school that said Wednesday that multiple victims had ties to its community in Norden, California, just miles from where the avalanche occurred.
Sugar Bowl families go on an annual trip to the slopes together, which is organized by the parents and not affiliated with the school, a close source told the San Francisco Chronicle. In this instance, the fathers are believed to have skied together on one excursion, and their wives went off on another.
Caroline Sekar, 45, was identified Thursday as one of the victims of a fatal avalanche near Lake Tahoe on Tuesday
Her sister Liz Clabaugh was also killed in the deadly avalanche
Fifteen skiers led by Blackbird Mountain Guides were on Castle Peak late Tuesday morning when they were hit by a slide and a huge storm dumping heavy snow
A Sugar Bowl alum has claimed the tragedy had nothing to do with the victims’ skiing abilities.
‘I am pretty surprised that there were people out there backcountry skiing, but I don’t think it’s a matter of anybody’s skill,’ Alex Alvarez, who attended the academy during her junior year of high school, told CBS News.
‘I think it’s more Mother Nature saying, “Hey, this is a bad time.”‘
Alvarez added that the scale of devastation, which saw nine people killed, is ‘really unexpected’ in the Lake Tahoe area.
‘We get big avalanches, but it’s usually just one or two people,’ she said.
The rockslide was the deadliest in modern California history, and rescue workers have been unable to reach the bodies of eight skiers on Castle Peak mountain amid treacherous conditions, which were expected to continue at least through Thursday.
Meanwhile, a ninth person remains missing, but is presumed dead.
Six people were rescued six hours after the avalanche hit as they were concluding a three-day ski tour organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides.
Kate Vitt is the Vice President of Product Operations and Customer Success at SiriusXM
The skiers took off amid treacherous conditions in the Lake Tahoe region
Authorities have said the skiers had little time to react.
‘Someone saw the avalanche, yelled “Avalanche!” and it overtook them rather quickly,’ said Captain Russell ‘Rusty’ Greene, of the Nevada County sheriff’s office.
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said investigators would look into the decision to proceed with the trip on Sunday despite the forecast of a massive incoming storm.
That morning at 6.49am, the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche watch, indicating that large avalanches were likely in the next 24 to 48 hours.
The watch was elevated to a warning by 5am Tuesday, indicating that avalanches were expected. It is not clear whether the guides knew about the change before they began their return trek.
Blackbird Mountain Guides also said in a statement Wednesday night that it has launched an investigation and paused field operations at least through the weekend, while prioritizing support for the victims’ families.
The company guides who led the group were trained or certified in backcountry skiing and were also instructors with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education.
Some of the victims of the tragic California avalanche were a group of mothers whose children attended the elite Sugar Bowl Academy ski school in the Lake Tahoe community
While in the field, they ‘are in communication with senior guides at our base, to discuss conditions and routing based upon conditions,’ Blackbird Mountain Guides founder Zeb Blais said in the statement.
‘We don’t have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do,’ the company said. ‘In the meantime, please keep those impacted in your hearts.’
But for those that have now lost their loved ones, McAlister said ‘it’s the worst nightmare.’
He told the Times how Sekar and her husband were in the process of setting up a guesthouse on their property in San Francisco, and said he had texted with her just last week about visiting.
‘I literally had it on my calendar to give her a call, because we had been playing phone tag,’ McAlister recounted.
He said Sekar worked in the tech industry, but her true passion was taking care of her two sons.
