Eight people were killed in an avalanche during a backcountry skiing trip on the California side of Lake Tahoe on Tuesday, authorities said in a statement Wednesday.
Six others in the party survived and one still missing, though presumed dead, the officials said, as the searchers battle the almost white conditions.
“We had a conversation with the families of the victims and let them know that our focus has shifted from rescue to recovery,” Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon told reporters. “It’s hard to talk to the people you love.”
The avalanche was about a football field long, authorities said. Five passengers and one guide survived the slide, according to Moon. The survivors ranged in age from 30 to 55 years old, he said.
The bodies of those who died are still at the scene, where the avalanche danger continues.
“The risk is still high as the focus is on recovery. We want to make sure our first responders are safe,” Moon said.
Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo, whose deputies are assisting in the search, said it may take some time before all nine bodies are found.
“We are all very determined to see this through to the end,” said Woo. “For now, I’ll have to wait for, hopefully, a good break in the weather and make sure we get every last soul out of that mountain.”
The massacre struck at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, some time after the skiers had left the group of backcountry huts at Frog Lake, according to Blackbird Mountain Guides, which has four top guides. Skiers have been staying at the lake, located northwest of Lake Tahoe and north of Donner Summit, since Sunday.
“The group was in the process of returning to the road at the end of a three-day trip when the incident occurred,” Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement on Tuesday.
This massacre initially left nine people unaccounted for. The sheriff’s office was able to contact the six survivors through an emergency satellite service that allowed them to send messages.
Authorities sent a search and rescue team to the area Tuesday afternoon after receiving an avalanche alert from Blackbird Mountain Guides and a satellite messaging system.
The six surviving skiers took shelter in a wooded area as they waited for hours for rescuers to cut through the dangerous whitewashed area to reach them.
Moon said the survivors found three bodies before rescuers got to them. Two survivors were injured and had to be pulled out by a rescue team; others were able to walk with the emergency services. Two survivors were hospitalized, both with non-life threatening injuries, and one was released, according to Moon.
He said Blackbird Mountain Guides assisted in emergencies with search and rescue teams.
“They responded with us. They wanted to do everything possible to help,” said Moon.
When the massacre was first reported, it was thought that there were 16 people on the trip, but Moon said the number of skiers affected was revised because one person withdrew from the trip.
Although the ski group was directed to the area, Moon said the snow and wind on Tuesday were dangerous and challenging to manage.
“Mother Nature is invisible – she doesn’t seem to care, right? No matter how prepared you are, no matter how knowledgeable you are,” he said, when asked how disasters like this could be prevented. “So it’s important to realize that you’re not the only one, that you’re influencing resources to be distributed elsewhere.”
From Monday to Wednesday morning, about 30 inches of snow fell at the Tahoe Donner snow station and weather station, which is about 4 miles from the glacier. The weather station is about 800 feet higher than the avalanche site, which means it may have snowed heavily where the slide occurred.
An avalanche warning was in effect for Tahoe County on Tuesday, with high danger in all conditions and at any elevation.
“Natural avalanches are possible, and man-made avalanches large enough to bury or injure people are very likely,” the Sierra Avalanche Center wrote in its newsletter. “Avalanches may be initiated further down the slope in some areas.”
Forecasters were concerned that icy conditions could trigger a so-called storm slab avalanche. This is where strong snow creates a compact layer of snow that doesn’t connect with the weaker layers below. The layer is sheared and comes off in a matter of seconds.
In the first report, the avalanche forecast center said the avalanche occurred on a north-facing slope at an altitude of about 8,200 meters. The property is half a mile from Frog Lake Backcountry Huts.
Avalanches usually occur in areas with slope angles between 30 and 45 degrees. The site provided by the center is at a low angle, which would be considered safe for walking, although there are steep slopes to the top.
In addition to satellite messaging devices, backcountry skiers often carry safety gear, including avalanche beacons, shovels and probes, to help locate and rescue friends if needed. Authorities said all skiers involved in the incident were carrying avalanche beacons.
Although avalanches often cause physical trauma – head injuries, broken bones and torn ligaments – the greatest danger is suffocation during burial for longer than 15 to 20 minutes.
The United States has averaged 27 avalanche deaths each year over the past 10 years, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
In recent history, the deadliest avalanche occurred in Washington state in June 1981, when 11 climbers — one guide and 10 clients — were killed in an avalanche on Mount Rainier, according to HistoryLink. The deadliest massacre in US history was in 1910, when 96 people died after a slide hit two trains crossing Stevens Pass in Washington state.
In California, the story of the avalanche was affecting the whole country, when Gov. Gavin Newsom praised the rescuers and offered his condolences to the families of the victims.
In mountain towns, backcountry skiers often form tight-knit communities where mountain guides, powder enthusiasts and search and rescue team members meet.
“One of the nine missing is married to one of our Tahoe Nordic search and rescue team members,” Woo said. “This has not only been a challenge for our community, a challenging rescue, but also an emotional challenge for our team and our organization.”
