The tour company that organized the group of backcountry skiers who were swept away an avalanche in California warned of incoming inclement weather just two days before the storm hit.
A Blackbird Mountain Guides ski guide stationed in Mt Rose, the Tahoe’s highest elevation, on Sunday revealed that there was ‘atypical layering’ in the snow pack.
The guide, in a post on the company’s Facebook page, warned that the extended dry season impacting the area has caused faceting, a process in which snow becomes weak.
‘As we move into a large storm cycle this week, pay close attention to places where faceting has been particularly strong – avalanches could behave abnormally, and the hazard could last longer than normal,’ the guide said, urging snow sportsmen to ‘use extra caution this week.’
But 15 skiers led by Blackbird Mountain Guides were on Castle Peak, about 40 miles from Mt Rose, late Tuesday morning when they were hit by a slide and a huge storm dumping heavy snow.
Six skiers had been rescued ‘with varying injuries’ Tuesday evening, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said, though mountain rescue teams battling treacherous conditions were still trying to find the others as daylight faded.
Blackbird Mountain Guides said it is ‘working in full coordination’ with authorities to support the rescue mission, but local skiers have hit back, claiming that the firm made a ‘bad call’ and should have never let the group up the mountain in the first place.
‘I was at Frog Lake from Thursday to Sunday but we got out before the storm moved in,’ one skier told the Post. ‘Absolutely a preventable tragedy is all I will say about it.’
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 Blackbird Mountain Guides ski guide stationed in Mt Rose, the Tahoe’s highest elevation, on Sunday revealed that there was ‘atypical layering’ in the snow pack. The guide, in a post on the company’s Facebook page, warned that there was a ‘big storm incoming’
A huge storm dumped heavy snow on the mountains near Lake Tahoe on Tuesday
Another skier accused the ski guides of making a ‘bad call’ and questioned why they ever took the group up the mountains in such poor conditions.
‘Praying for all but questions about how “guides” took them out in these conditions. Really? Did they not read the warnings?’ one added.
Another said: ‘What in God’s name were they doing up there today of all days! Hope they survive and learn a really important lesson.’
Crews pushed through mountainous wilderness near Lake Tahoe during a snowstorm on Tuesday to rescue six skiers who survived the avalanche but were trapped by its snow and ice. Two of the rescued skiers were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Nine others from their tour group remained missing.
Blackbird Mountain Guides revealed that skiers had been in the process of returning to the trailhead at the end of a three-day trip when the avalanche struck.
Some were forced to seek safety in a makeshift shelter erected with a tarp as rescuers battled blizzard conditions to reach them, the Post reported.
The group of backcountry skiers had been staying at the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts, a collection of remote cabins near the Castle Peak.
Authorities previously said 16 people – four guides and 12 clients – were on the trip, before revising that number down to 15.
Crews pushed through mountainous wilderness near Lake Tahoe during a snowstorm on Tuesday to rescue six skiers who survived the avalanche but were trapped by its snow and ice
Officials had said 46 emergency first responders were involved in the search, including ‘highly skilled rescue ski teams’ from both Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center, who were dispatched to rescue the six known survivors
A sign is covered in snow during a storm on Tuesday in Truckee, California
Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement on its website that it was coordinating with authorities on the rescue operation.
‘The leadership team at Blackbird Mountain Guides is working in full coordination with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and Nevada County Search and Rescue to support the ongoing rescue operation,’ the statement said.
‘Blackbird Mountain Guides is in direct contact with the emergency contacts of the affected clients and guides and is providing them with regular updates as verified information becomes available.’
Search and rescue crews were dispatched to Frog Lake in the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe, after a 911 call reporting an avalanche and people buried. A powerful winter storm was moving through California at the time.
Extreme conditions in the Northern California mountains slowed the rescue effort. It took crews several hours to reach the skiers and take them to safety, where they were evaluated by the Truckee Fire Department.
The skiers were on the last day of a three-day backcountry skiing trek and had spent two nights at huts on a trip that required navigating ‘rugged mountainous terrain’ for up to 4 miles while bringing along all food and supplies.
Nevada County Sheriff Capt. Russell Greene said authorities were notified about the avalanche by Blackbird Mountain Guides, and by emergency beacons the skiers were carrying.
Forty-six emergency first responders were involved in the search, including ‘highly skilled rescue ski teams’ from both Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center, who were dispatched to rescue the six known survivors.
Shopping carts were buried when a snow storm struck the Sierra Nevada mountain range area on Tuesday
A powerful storm packing several feet of snow continued to pummel the Sierra Nevada mountain range throughout the day, with forecasters warning of white-out conditions
The dangerous conditions were caused by rapidly accumulating snow piling on fragile snowpack layers coupled with gale-force winds
The powerful storm continued to pummel the Sierra Nevada mountain range throughout the day, with forecasters warning of white-out conditions.
The Sierra Avalanche Center, based in Truckee, issued an avalanche warning for the area in the Central Sierra Nevada, including the Greater Lake Tahoe region, starting at 5am Tuesday with large slides expected into Wednesday
‘HIGH avalanche danger exists in the backcountry. Large avalanches are expected to occur Tuesday, Tuesday night, and into at least early Wednesday morning across backcountry terrain,’ the Sierra Avalanche Center said.
‘HIGH avalanche danger might continue through the day on Wednesday.’
The town of Soda Springs, near where the avalanche took place, recorded at least 30 inches of snow in a 24-hour period, according to the Soda Springs Mountain Resort.
The dangerous conditions were caused by rapidly accumulating snow piling on fragile snowpack layers coupled with gale-force winds.
The storm wreaked havoc on roads from the Sierra Nevada to Sonoma County. Traffic was halted temporarily in both directions on I-80 over and around Donner Summit due to spinouts and crashes, the authorities reported.
Several Tahoe ski resorts were fully or partially closed due to the weather. Resorts along highways have avalanche mitigation programs and were not expected to be at as high of a risk as the backcountry, where travel in, near or below avalanche terrain was strongly discouraged, the center said.
‘It’s particularly dangerous in the backcountry right now just because we’re at the height of the storm,’ said Brandon Schwartz, Tahoe National Forest lead avalanche forecaster at the Sierra Avalanche Center.
The National Weather Service said parts of the Sierra above 3,500 feet could see up to eight feet of snow over the next 48 hours, with gusts of wind as strong as 55 miles per hour.
Sheriff’s office Captain Russell Green told local media station KCRA that officials discourage people from backcountry skiing.
‘People go out and use the backcountry at all times,’ Green said. ‘We advise against it, obviously, but I wouldn’t say that it’s uncommon. Not that it was a wise choice.’
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has tallied six US avalanche fatalities so far this season, including one in Castle Peak in January.
