Crews returned Friday to a deadly avalanche site in California’s Sierra Nevada, working to make the area safer enough for recovery crews to search for people killed in Tuesday’s slide. The avalanche struck in the area near Castle Peak, northwest of Lake Tahoe, and officials said they faced a continued threat of more avalanches amid harsh weather. Rescue teams moved toward the scene with a snow vehicle equipped with skis and supplies while helicopters operated overhead.
Officials said avalanche mitigation work is designed to intentionally release unstable snowpack, lowering the likelihood of another deadly slide when rescue crews go in. The effort is intended to reduce risk during recovery operations, which have been repeatedly delayed by brutal conditions and the possibility of additional avalanches in the same area.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s office previously said Friday’s mitigation work would include controlled explosions, but the office later said the efforts instead involved using water to break up snow. Authorities said the work was carried out in partnership with Pacific Gas & Electric.
In the days after Tuesday’s avalanche, officials said the threat of more slides and the weather had kept crews from recovering the bodies of the eight people killed and another person still missing. They described the avalanche as roughly the size of a football field, and said the recovery effort remained constrained by safety concerns.
Authorities said multiple investigations have been opened into the avalanche, including a review by the sheriff’s office that is examining whether criminal negligence played a role. They said a state agency that regulates workplace safety also opened an investigation. Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, declined to provide additional information on the investigations while they are ongoing.
Investigators and officials are also considering questions about the backcountry ski trip itself—why the tour company that organized it did not cancel despite warnings and a powerful storm, and what the guides knew as conditions worsened. Avalanche safety experts said it is not uncommon for experienced backcountry skiers to go out even when an avalanche watch or warning is in place.
Families of the victims said six of the people who died were part of a close-knit group of friends who were experienced backcountry skiers. The three others who were dead or presumed dead were guides, officials said. In a statement released Thursday through a spokesperson, families said they were “devastated beyond words” and described the women as mothers, wives and friends “connected through the love of the outdoors,” carrying avalanche safety equipment and preparing for backcountry travel.
The sheriff’s office had not released the names of the other victims at the time of the report. Families identified the six skiers as Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar and Kate Vitt. They said the group lived across the region, including in the San Francisco Bay Area, Idaho and the Lake Tahoe area, and asked for privacy as they grieve.
Authorities also described the tour and the people leading it. Blackbird Mountain Guides said the guides on the trek were trained or certified in backcountry skiing and were instructors with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education. Founder Zeb Blais said in a statement, “We don’t have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do,” adding, “In the meantime, please keep those impacted in your hearts.”