Investigators are examining whether criminal negligence played a role in the avalanche that killed at least eight people during a guided backcountry ski trip in California, but emphasized it is too early to determine whether any charges are warranted, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said. The slide, which struck a group near Castle Peak outside Truckee, was the deadliest U.S. avalanche in 45 years.
The sheriff’s office said in a written statement that, in addition to the coroner’s death investigations, it is conducting a parallel probe into potential criminal negligence. The office cautioned the inquiry is in its preliminary stages and it is too soon to identify any possible targets. The Nevada County District Attorney’s Office, which would decide on charges, declined to comment.
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The group of 15 skiers — including four guides from the outfitter Blackbird — was heading back to a trailhead in heavy snow after a three-day excursion when the avalanche struck. Three of the guides were among those killed. Six survivors were rescued in the rugged Castle Peak area about 10 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe. Authorities have closed the area around the disaster site to the public.
Blackbird, founded in 2020 and known for guided ski tours, alpine climbing trips and avalanche education, did not respond to a request for comment. In a late Wednesday written statement, Zeb Blais, the company’s founder, mourned the loss of life and said the guides on the trip were highly trained in backcountry travel. Each was also an instructor with the Colorado-based American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education, he said.
“There is still a lot we’re learning about what happened,” Blais wrote. “It’s too soon to draw conclusions, but investigations are under way. We ask that people following this tragedy refrain from speculating. We don’t have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do.”
Avalanche centers had warned of particularly dangerous conditions before the incident, following a massive winter storm that dumped heavy, dense snow on mountains that had seen scant snowpack in preceding months. Experts cautioned that the weak, older base layer was unlikely to withstand the sudden weight of the new snow, elevating avalanche risk across the region.
The Blackbird tour group — nine women and six men — had been staying at the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts near Donner Summit, at about 2,300 meters (7,545 feet) elevation. In addition to California, Blackbird runs backcountry trips in Washington state and British Columbia.
Frank Carus, director of the Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center in Wyoming and a former backcountry ski guide, urged patience as investigators work through the facts. “The main thing here is not to rush to judgment,” said Carus, who has investigated deadly avalanches and noted such inquiries are immensely complex and can take weeks. “The worst thing to do is to blame or shame before the facts are known.”
Carus said the training held by the Blackbird guides involved in the avalanche represents the industry’s gold standard. “These were people tested on their ability to manage clients in the terrain and manage exposure risk,” he said.
Survivors, who fashioned a makeshift shelter partly from tarpaulin sheets after the slide, used emergency beacons and text messages to communicate their location to rescuers. Authorities said the terrain and conditions complicated the response.
With investigations ongoing and the immediate area closed, officials reiterated that it remains too early to assess criminal liability. As searchers and analysts reconstruct the slide path and decision-making on the mountain, the Sheriff’s Office said it will release verified findings when available.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
