California avalanche search to continue into weekend as storms halt recovery on Castle Peak
Authorities in Northern California said Friday the search for a ninth person believed killed in a massive Sierra Nevada avalanche will extend into the weekend, as relentless storms and unstable snow continue to thwart efforts to recover victims on Castle Peak near Lake Tahoe.
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The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said eight victims of the backcountry avalanche have been located but cannot be safely moved. “Due to hazardous weather conditions, avalanche victims cannot be safely extracted off the mountain today,” the agency said on Facebook, adding that “recovery efforts are expected to carry into the weekend.”
The avalanche struck a group of 15 people — four guides and 11 paying clients — on the third day of a backcountry skiing trip at the 2,776-meter (9,100-foot-class) summit west of Truckee. Six people survived, including five clients and a guide, who managed to call for help shortly after the slide. Whiteout conditions and continued avalanche danger kept rescuers from reaching them for several hours. Two survivors were assisted down the mountain and hospitalized.
As the search-and-recovery operation stretches on, authorities have sealed off the terrain around the disaster site to protect both first responders and the public from further danger. The U.S. Forest Service said Thursday it is closing all lands it manages in the area for several weeks to support the mission and reduce the risk of additional slides.
“Due to the current instability of the snowpack and need to prioritize first responder access to the area, members of the public are prohibited from entering the closure area during search and rescue operations,” the agency said in a statement. It said crews may use snow machines, aircraft, heavy equipment and “possibly explosives to mitigate further environmental hazards to the safety of first responders conducting recovery efforts.”
The closure order is in effect through March 15, officials said.
The deadly slide has raised immediate questions about why a guided group was on the mountain amid a ferocious series of storms that dumped several feet of snow in a short span and triggered warnings from avalanche experts. In a statement Wednesday, expedition organizer Blackbird Mountain Guides said all its staff on the trip were professionally trained and urged the public not to speculate while investigations proceed.
“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,” company founder Zeb Blais said. “Guides in the field are in communication with senior guides at our base, to discuss conditions and routing based upon conditions. There is still a lot that we’re learning about what happened. It’s too soon to draw conclusions, but investigations are underway.”
Officials have not released the names of those killed. The area, a popular destination for advanced backcountry skiers and splitboarders, remained under a blizzard warning Friday with fresh snowfall, gusting winds and low visibility compounding risks on steep, leeward slopes notorious for wind-loaded slabs.
Local, state and federal teams are working in concert on the mountain, but the Sheriff’s Office cautioned that safety remains the priority. With unstable layers and storm cycles expected to continue, any movement on the slope can trigger additional slides, complicating extraction efforts for days.
Authorities urged members of the public to respect closures and steer clear of the incident zone to allow crews to focus on locating the final missing person and safely recovering the dead once the weather breaks.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
