The tragic avalanche that occurred near Lake Tahoe, California, this week has become the deadliest in the state’s history, claiming the lives of eight skiers.
Authorities are currently awaiting the clearance of a severe storm to retrieve the bodies of those who perished in Tuesday’s avalanche near Frog Lake, located in the Castle Peak region, northwest of Lake Tahoe. Out of the 15 skiers caught in the avalanche, six survived, while one person remains unaccounted for. Avalanche warnings are expected to remain in place through early Thursday.
Zeb Blais, the founder of Blackbird Mountain Guides, confirmed in a statement that the group comprised four guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides and 11 participants. They were concluding a three-day backcountry skiing trip when the avalanche struck. “Five participants and one Blackbird guide survived the avalanche,” Blais stated.
Blais urged the public to avoid speculation about the incident, emphasizing, “We don’t have all the answers yet, and it may take some time to fully understand what happened. Meanwhile, we ask that you keep those affected in your thoughts.”
On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, a rescue team was dispatched to the backcountry slopes of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, where the skiers had become stranded. This operation took place in Nevada County, California, as reported by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and Reuters.
The skiing group had strong ties to the Lake Tahoe alpine recreation community. The Sugar Bowl Academy ski school, with which many victims were connected, expressed their sorrow over the tragic loss. They released a statement on Wednesday evening, mourning those lost and acknowledging their “strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit, and the backcountry community.”
It did not say how the skiers, said to range in age from 30 to 55, were connected to the school, which offers alpine and backcountry ski instruction and academics for young athletes. Officials have not yet released their names.
The avalanche is the deadliest in the U.S. since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington state, and the second deadly avalanche near Castle Peak this year, after a snowmobiler was buried in January.
In 1982 in California, an avalanche crashed into the Alpine Meadows Ski Resort near Lake Tahoe, killing seven people, including four resort employees who remained on site even though the resort had been closed for the day because of the dangerous conditions.
In 2008, three men were killed in an avalanche while skiing out of bounds near the Mountain High resort in the San Gabriel Mountains, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Snow covers a road on an underpass along Interstate 80 on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, near Soda Springs, Calif. (Brooke Hess-Homeier/AP)
Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement Wednesday night that it has launched an investigation and paused field operations at least through the weekend while it prioritizes supporting 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.
While in the field, the guides “are in communication with senior guides at our base, to discuss conditions and routing based upon conditions,” Blais added.
A snowmobile is parked at Alder Creek Adventure Center, one of two sites where search crews were launched to try to locate a group of missing skiers after an avalanche in a backcountry slope of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (Jenna Greene/Reuters)
The Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche watch Sunday morning. It was elevated to a warning by 5 a.m. Tuesday, indicating that avalanches were expected. It is not clear whether the guides would have known about the change before they began their return trek, the AP reported.
