The bodies of nine backcountry skiers who were killed in an avalanche near Lake Tahoe on Tuesday were recovered on Friday evening and Saturday morning, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
Dangerous weather conditions and continued snowfall delayed their recovery until operations could resume after six survivors were rescued that evening.
Five were recovered on Friday, and the remaining four were recovered Saturday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.
The avalanche hit at about 11:30 a.m. near Castle Peak, a mountain just north of Interstate Highway 80 over the Donner Pass, and about 4 miles north of Sugar Bowl Resort.
The victims were identified as three guides from the business Blackbird Mountain Guides and six members of the group they were leading, some of whom were part of a group of friends who had planned a trip together.
The guides were identified as Andrew Alissandratos, 34, of Verdi, Nevada; Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe; and Michael Henry, 30, from Soda Springs.
The other skiers were identified as Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho; Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs; Danielle Keatley, 44, a resident of Larkspur and Soda Springs; Kate Morse, 45, a resident of Soda Springs and Tiburon; Caroline Sekar, 45, who lived in San Francisco and Soda Springs; and Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae.
A joint statement from some of the families of the victims said the group was prepared for emergencies like they encountered.
“They were experienced backcountry skiers who deeply respected the mountains,” the statement said. “They were trained and prepared for backcountry travel and trusted their professional guides on this trip.”
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon offered condolences to the victims’ families.
“There are no words that truly capture the significance of this loss and our hearts mourn alongside the families of those affected by this catastrophic event,” Moon said. “The weight of this event is felt across many families, friends, and colleagues, and we stand together with them during this difficult time.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom offered his own words of grief on Thursday.
“Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives and a community of skiers and a community of families from the Bay Area,” he said at a press conference in Colma.
On Thursday, the area around Castle Peak, which is in Tahoe National Forest, was closed by the U.S. Forest Service until March 15 because of the instability of the snowpack. The date could be moved up if conditions are deemed safe enough.
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