At least eight people have died and one remains missing and presumed dead after a large avalanche struck a backcountry ski group near Castle Peak, north of Lake Tahoe, on Feb. 17, authorities said. The incident occurred amid a powerful winter storm and is considered one of the deadliest avalanches in U.S. history.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) told reporters shortly after the tragedy that “family and friends” were among the victims.
“It turns out, a lot of mutual friends in Marin County — I’m just learning [that] some of my wife’s old family friends were among the victims,” he said, per the American Tribune.
By late Thursday, the identities of six women who died had emerged. Among them were sisters Caroline Sekar, 45, and Liz Clabaugh, 52. Kate Vitt, a mom of two and a former vice president at SiriusXM, was also killed. Others identified on the expedition included Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keatley, and Kate Morse.
The avalanche hit a group of 15 skiers returning from a multi-day guided excursion near the Frog Lake huts in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Six skiers were rescued and transported to hospitals, some with injuries, while rescue crews located the bodies of eight others. One person is still missing and is presumed dead.
Authorities, including the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, search and rescue teams, and California workplace safety investigators, are continuing efforts to reach the site and determine the circumstances of the slide. Adverse weather and high avalanche risk have repeatedly delayed body-recovery operations.
Severe weather and the risk of additional avalanches have hindered crews from safely recovering the bodies of the eight individuals who were killed and another who is still missing from Tuesday’s avalanche, which was approximately the size of a football field, the Associated Press reported.
The victims who have been identified include six women from close-knit friend groups who were described by their families as experienced backcountry skiers with proper safety equipment. They were mothers, wives and outdoor enthusiasts from the Bay Area, Idaho and the Lake Tahoe region.
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The ski trip was organized and led by Blackbird Mountain Guides, a professional guiding company. The company issued a statement saying it was “heartbroken” by the loss of clients and three of its own guides and is cooperating with authorities while investigations proceed.
“This was an enormous tragedy, and the saddest event our team has ever experienced,” the company said in a statement.
The families of the victims added: “We are heartbroken, and are doing our best to care for one another and our families in the way we know these women would have wanted.” The women were mothers, wives and friends who “connected through the love of the outdoors,” they said.
Officials have closed portions of the Castle Peak area and the Tahoe National Forest to public access through mid-March as they continue to monitor avalanche dangers and conduct safety mitigation.
Just north of San Francisco, in the city of Larkspur where Keatley lived with her family, resident Rob Bramble was shocked to learn that the friendly woman he greeted in passing was among the victims.
“She was just a great mom. I’d always see her with the kids, picking them up, just seemed like a great mom and a great family,” said Bramble, whose daughter babysat for the family a few times.
Keatley and her husband owned a wine business and frequently shared their namesake wines at community events, according to Larkspur Mayor Stephanie Andre.
“She was warm, kind and exuded a special quality that drew people to her,” Andre said in a statement.
Morse lived with her husband and three children north of San Francisco and worked in the biotech industry, as noted on her LinkedIn profile. Vitt had previously worked at SiriusXM and Pandora, according to her online profile, and lived north of the city with her husband and two sons.
Atkin was a former corporate executive who resided in Lake Tahoe with her husband and two children, according to her leadership coaching website, the AP said.
