Rescuers found the bodies of eight skiers after an avalanche in northern California, and one skier still missing is likely dead as well.
The group of 15 skiers were returning from the Frog Lake backcountry huts near Lake Tahoe after a three-day trip when they were hit by the avalanche.
‘Our mission now is to get them home.’
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said the sheriff’s office received a report of the avalanche on Tuesday at about 11:30 a.m.
Moon said crews couldn’t reach the site until 5:30 p.m. because of the weather conditions that included high winds and freezing temperatures.
The survivors, which included five clients and and an employee of the Black Mountain Guides, made a makeshift shelter for themselves.
Rescue workers got the survivors to safety before searching for those missing and finding their bodies. The last missing skier is now presumed dead.
The survivors included two women and four men between the ages of 33 and 55 years old. Of the nine that had been missing, seven were women and two were men.
“Our mission now is to get them home,” Moon said.
The guide company released a statement about the incident.
“The leadership team at Blackbird Mountain Guides is working in full coordination with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and Nevada County Search and Rescue to support the ongoing rescue operation,” the company’s statement reads.
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“Blackbird Mountain Guides is in direct contact with the emergency contacts of the affected clients and guides and is providing them with regular updates as verified information becomes available,” they added.
The incident is the deadliest avalanche in California history and the deadliest in the nation’s history since 1981 when 11 climbers were killed on Mount Rainier in Washington state.
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