8 backcountry skiers discovered lifeless and 1 nonetheless lacking after California avalanche : NPR

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AP/Nevada County Sheriff's Workplace NEVADA CITY, Calif. — Crews discovered the our bodies of eight backcountry skiers close to California's Lake Tahoe and had been looking for yet one more after they had been caught in an avalanche, the nation's deadliest in practically half a century, authorities mentioned Wednesday.

Authorities mentioned the skiers had little time to react.

"Somebody noticed the avalanche, yelled avalanche, and it overtook them somewhat rapidly," mentioned Capt. Russell "Rusty" Greene, of the Nevada County sheriff's workplace.

Six from the guided tour had been rescued six hours after the avalanche hit Tuesday morning throughout a three-day trek in Northern California's Sierra Nevada, as a monster winter storm pummeled the West Coast.

Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon mentioned investigators would look into the choice to proceed with the journey regardless of the forecast for relentless climate.

Authorities have advised the households the mission has moved from rescuing individuals to recovering our bodies, Moon mentioned throughout a information convention.

The victims, together with three guides, had been discovered pretty shut collectively, Greene mentioned. The lifeless and lacking embody seven girls and two males, ranging in ages from 30 to 55. The crews haven't but been in a position to take away the victims from the mountain due to the intense circumstances, the sheriff mentioned.

Three to 6 toes of snow has fallen since Sunday, when the group began its journey. The world was additionally hit by subfreezing temperatures and gale drive winds. The Sierra Avalanche Middle mentioned the specter of extra avalanches remained Wednesday and left the snowpack unstable and unpredictable in an space identified for its steep, craggy cliffs.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4032x3024+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F73%2Fdf%2Fb50f96d94e2d8ad413c579cf9797%2Fap26049704726526.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4032x3024+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F73%2Fdf%2Fb50f96d94e2d8ad413c579cf9797%2Fap26049704726526.jpg" class="img" alt="Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon updates media on rescue efforts following an avalanche at a news conference in Nevada City, Calif. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026." loading="lazy"/> Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon updates media on rescue efforts following an avalanche at a information convention in Nevada Metropolis, Calif. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Tran Nguyen/AP disguise caption

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Tran Nguyen/AP Rescuers had been guided by beacons and a cellphone in harmful circumstances Rescuers reached the survivors simply earlier than sundown on Tuesday.

The skiers all had beacons that may ship alerts to rescuers and at the least one of many guides was in a position to ship texts, but it surely wasn't clear in the event that they had been sporting avalanche luggage, that are inflatable gadgets that may preserve skiers close to the floor, Greene mentioned.

Whereas they waited to be rescued, the survivors used tools to shelter themselves and fend off temperatures dipping under freezing. The survivors positioned three others who had died through the wait, Moon mentioned.

Rescuers used a snowcat to get inside 2 miles of the survivors, then skied in rigorously so that they did not set off one other avalanche, the sheriff mentioned.

A kind of rescued stays in a hospital Wednesday, Moon mentioned.

The world close to Donner Summit is among the snowiest locations within the Western Hemisphere and till just some years in the past was closed to the general public. It sees a median of practically 35 toes of snow a yr, in response to the Truckee Donner Land Belief, which owns a cluster of huts the place the group was staying close to Frog Lake.

The avalanche is the deadliest within the U.S. since 1981, when 11 climbers had been killed on Mount Rainier, Washington. Every winter, 25 to 30 individuals die in avalanches within the U.S., in response to the Nationwide Avalanche Middle.

It was the second lethal avalanche close to California's Fort Peak this yr, after a snowmobiler was buried by one in January.

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Brooke Hess-Homeier/AP Skiers had been heading for the trailhead when the avalanche struck Greene mentioned authorities had been notified concerning the avalanche by Blackbird Mountain Guides, which was main the expedition, and the skiers' emergency beacons. The sheriff's workplace mentioned Tuesday evening that 15 backcountry skiers had been on the journey, not 16 as initially believed.

One skier had pulled out on the final minute, Moon mentioned.

Authorities had been ready to launch the victims' names to provide the households time. "They're nonetheless reeling," Moon mentioned. "I couldn't think about what they are going via."

The skiers had been on the final day of the backcountry journey and had spent two nights within the huts, mentioned Steve Reynaud, an avalanche forecaster with the Sierra Avalanche Middle. He mentioned the realm requires navigating rugged mountainous terrain. All meals and provides have to be carried to the huts.

Reaching the huts in winter takes a number of hours and requires backcountry expertise, avalanche coaching and security tools, the land belief says on its web site.

The world close to Donner Summit was closed for practically a century earlier than it was reopened by the land belief and its companions in 2020. Donner Summit is known as for the notorious Donner Celebration, a bunch of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after getting trapped there within the winter of 1846-1847.

Blackbird Mountain Guides mentioned in a press release that the group, together with 4 guides, was returning to the trailhead when the avalanche occurred.

When requested what went via her thoughts as her employees and volunteers responded to the scene, Moon mentioned she hoped they might have the ability to make it there safely. As soon as they did, she mentioned she was "instantly pondering of the oldsters that did not make it, and understanding our mission now could be to get them house."