An avalanche struck in the backcountry near Castle Peak northwest of Lake Tahoe, and early reports described the event as a tahoe avalanche that buried members of a ski party.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said six skiers were found alive after the slide, and initial statements from the office said 10 others remained missing as crews worked to reach the scene.
The sheriff’s office later provided a revised count, saying the group included 15 people, while a separate update said nine skiers remained missing, and rescuers continued the search, Captain Russell Greene told NBC News.
A Blackbird Mountain Guides trip had been returning from the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts when the slide occurred, the guide company said, and the group included clients and guides, the company added.
Survivors took shelter in a treed area and used tarps to build makeshift protection, and Greene said rescuers remained in text contact with the survivors through an emergency satellite messaging service.
Weather Outlook And Rescue Challenges
Rescue operations involved roughly 46 first responders, according to Nevada County officials, and teams included ski search units and off‑road vehicles that had to navigate whiteout conditions and heavy snowfall.
The Sierra Avalanche Center warned of high avalanche danger across the Central Sierra Nevada and the Greater Lake Tahoe region, saying large slides were expected and that natural avalanches were likely.
The center described conditions as a storm slab risk, with rapidly accumulating snow on fragile layers, and noted avalanches up to D3 size could occur, posing serious hazard to backcountry travelers.
Authorities and forecasters urged caution because gale‑force winds and heavy snowfall were piling new snow onto weak layers, and resorts with mitigation programs were not exposed to the same backcountry risk, the center said.
The storm disrupted roadways near the region, and agencies reported travel hazards and temporary closures on Interstate 80 because of spinouts, crashes, and whiteout conditions that impeded rescue travel.
Officials stressed that backcountry travel in the area was strongly discouraged while crews worked slowly to avoid triggering further slides, and the National Avalanche Center says 25 to 30 avalanche deaths occur each winter in the United States.
