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Six women killed in an avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada were among a group of eight close friends and experienced backcountry skiers on a trip together, their families said in a statement Thursday.
“They were trained and prepared for backcountry travel and trusted their professional guides on this trip,” the statement said. “They were fully equipped with avalanche safety equipment.”
Tuesday’s avalanche, the deadliest in the U.S. in decades, killed eight people. Six survived.
It will be at least another day before crews can attempt to recover the bodies and continue the search for a ninth person still missing and presumed dead, said Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
“We are on the mountain, but they are not going to be able to safely reach them,” she said Thursday. “The weather conditions are really dangerous.”
The skiers and their guides understood the dangers of trekking through the remote wilderness of the Sierra Nevada.
They had close ties to Lake Tahoe’s alpine community, with some connected to an academy for competitive skiers. One victim was married to a backcountry rescue team member.
But what the guides and their tour company knew about the warnings and risks from a powerful winter storm that blasted the mountains during the trip and why they pressed on is now part of investigations.
Officials have not yet released the names of those who were killed.
The bodies of eight skiers have been found after an avalanche near Lake Tahoe in Northern Calif., as heavy snow and the risk of further avalanches hamper the search for a ninth missing person.
Much more snow was expected to fall around Lake Tahoe on Thursday and continue to destabilize the fragile snowpack, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center. It said that wind gusts along the ridgetops could reach 100 km/h and warned there’s a high risk of large avalanches through at least Friday morning.
Tahoe National Forest lands in the Castle Peak area were also closed to the public until March 15 in response to the tragedy.
‘A connected community’
The 15 skiers, most of them women, began their three-day trip on Sunday just as warnings about the storm were intensifying. They spent the weekend staying along Frog Lake in high country huts accessible only by challenging trails.
The elite Sugar Bowl Academy issued a statement late Wednesday mourning the loss of skiers with “strong connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit and the backcountry community.”
Perched on Donner Summit, the academy is a private boarding and day school for competitive skiers and snowboarders. Its former students include multiple Olympians.
“We are an incredibly close and connected community,” academy executive director Stephen McMahon said in the statement. “This tragedy has affected each and every one of us.”
Two sisters were among the dead, their brother, McAlister Clabaugh, told The New York Times. Caroline Sekar, a mother of two, lived in San Francisco, and Liz Clabaugh lived in Boise, Idaho. Their brother said they were on the trip with close friends from college.
“The idea that they are both gone is, I don’t even know how to put it into words,” Clabaugh said. His employer later told the AP that he and his family asked for privacy while they grieve.
Safety is top of mind this holiday season with winter outdoor activities ramping up in the Rocky Mountains. Recent snow dumps in the backcountry have avalanche experts urging those heading into the mountains to plan first.
Guides were highly experienced
The four guides were employed by Blackbird Mountain Guides, which offers mountaineering and backcountry ski trips as well as safety courses. One of them was among the six survivors. The company said in a statement that it launched an investigation.
Blackbird’s website says the tour was intended for intermediate to expert skiers.
The guides with the group were trained or certified in backcountry skiing, and were instructors with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education. While in the field, they “are in communication with senior guides at our base, to discuss conditions and routing based upon conditions,” founder Zeb Blais said in the statement.
“We don’t have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do,” the company said, asking people to refrain from speculating while it reviews what happened.
“This was an enormous tragedy, and the saddest event our team has ever experienced. In addition to mourning the loss of six clients, we also mourn the loss of three highly experienced members of our guide team,” Blais said.
Authorities said the six survivors scoured the snow for the missing, finding three of the dead while they waited six hours Tuesday for help to arrive in blizzard conditions. At least one guide was able to send text messages. Two of those rescued were taken to a hospital but both have since been released.
The avalanche is the deadliest in the U.S. since 1981, when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington state.
