Authorities report that a final missing skier is presumed dead after California’s deadliest avalanche in modern history. According to Nevada County officials, they were able to rescue six survivors, but unfortunately, eight other bodies out of nine were discovered on Tuesday near Lake Tahoe following the avalanche. 

Skier Group Hit by Avalanche

A group of skiers was staying at the Frog Lake huts near Truckee, California, and were returning to the trailhead at the end of their trip on Tuesday, February 17, when the unforeseen incident confronted them. The huts they were staying in are tucked into the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe, just below Castle Peak. It is a popular skiing destination for many, but this could damage that reputation.

A backcountry avalanche warning was issued early Tuesday for the broad stretch of the Sierra Nevada. There was a mix of rapid snowfall and strong winds, with almost three feet of snow accumulating at Donner Peak within 48 hours before the avalanche. The heavy snowfall was expected to continue through Thursday, so visitors were urged to get to safety. However, this has also delayed recovery efforts and the search for survivors.

The group consisted of 15 members, including four guides embarked on a three-day backcountry expedition near Castle Peak.  One member of the group is still missing, but authorities are presuming they are dead. Six others caught in the avalanche were rescued after using emergency beacons and iPhone S.O.S functions to contact rescuers. They were found late Tuesday night, and two of the six survivors were transported to a local hospital. One has been released while the other is being treated with non-life-threatening injuries.

Many are questioning why the ski group was still on the mountain even after the weather conditions were announced and warnings were issued. Some believe the high death toll could have been prevented had they taken immediate action; however, residents and officials from the area explained that the conditions in the backcountry are unpredictable and can change quickly.

“The backcountry, it’s beautiful,” Sheriff Shannan Moon of Nevada County said at the news conference yesterday. “There’s not a lot of people out there, and that’s where a lot of people like to recreate — I myself like to recreate in that area.” She added, “It doesn’t seem to matter,” to Mother Nature. 

Recovery Efforts

During the news conference, Emergency officials said the weather conditions have made it difficult for them to recover the bodies of the avalanche victims and continue searching for the last. Wednesday’s weather offered a reprieve, but the risk of another avalanche remains high, and more snow is expected. Forecasters are predicting the area will reach up to 18 inches along the ridge tops by Friday, and more storms will fall into the weekend.

Avalanche Survivor

A survivor of a previous avalanche discussed how one can kill you and the terror that comes with it. Heinz Mueller, a mountain guide in the village of Andermatt, Switzerland, said he barely survived an avalanche in the Swiss Alps in 1993 after spending almost three hours buried under 30 feet of snow. “The whole slope came down and covered the valley, including us,” he said. 

He, along with two other people, was buried but survived due to the swift actions of their colleagues who witnessed the incident and were trying to locate them. Mueller said because they were so deep, they had no idea anyone was looking for them. “It feels like you are in concrete. You can’t move a millimeter,” he described. “You can barely breathe. You have tons of snow above you. It’s panic.”

According to Mueller, when you are buried under snow and ice, suffocation and freezing to death are the main dangers. “If you are buried in an avalanche and you are still breathing, the hole you are breathing in starts to form ice,” he said. “And then it’s the same like you are breathing in a plastic bag.”

He was on the brink of death by the time he was rescued. He made a large breathing hole to get enough air while he waited, but his body temperature fell below 29 degrees Celsius. One of the people with him survived as well, but unfortunately, the other did not make it out.