TRUCKEE, Calif. — The silence over Castle Peak was broken only by rotor blades and the slow grind of snowcats this weekend, as search crews recovered the ninth and final victim of a deadly avalanche that tore through a group of backcountry skiers near Lake Tahoe.
Authorities confirmed Saturday that all nine skiers who were killed in Tuesday’s avalanche have now been brought down from the mountain. The operation stretched across four days and was repeatedly delayed by heavy snowfall and dangerous white-out conditions. Crews faced the constant threat of more avalanches as they searched.
The slide happened Tuesday on Castle Peak, a popular backcountry destination in the Sierra. Search teams first located eight victims. The ninth skier had been missing and presumed dead. That final victim was found relatively close to the others but had been hidden by blowing snow and low visibility when the first recoveries were made.
Helicopters from the California National Guard and the California Highway Patrol airlifted the bodies off the mountain. From there, snowcats carried them down to waiting officials. Crews also used water to intentionally release unstable snowpack, a calculated move meant to reduce the risk of another slide during the recovery.
The effort pulled together multiple agencies. Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue worked alongside Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue, Pacific Gas & Electric, and the Sierra Avalanche Center. It was a coordinated response in unforgiving terrain.
Among those killed were professional guides Andrew Alissandratos of Nevada, Nicole Chu of South Lake Tahoe, and Michael Henry of Tampa, Florida. The other victims were Carrie Atkin of the Truckee-Tahoe area, Danielle Keatley of Marin County, Kate Morse of Marin County, Kate Vitt of Marin County, Caroline Sekar of San Francisco, and Liz Clabaugh of Boise, Idaho.
The three guides were seasoned in the backcountry. The other six were described as experienced skiers who understood the risks of winter travel in avalanche terrain. Still, the mountains can shift in seconds. Snowpack can change. A slope that looks stable one moment can break loose the next.
The loss has shaken the tight-knit skiing community around Lake Tahoe and beyond. Friends and families are grieving. Authorities are continuing to examine the conditions that led to the avalanche, even as they stress a truth that every backcountry skier knows: the mountains are beautiful, but they do not negotiate.
