8 Skiers Dead In Avalanche Near Lake Tahoe, California — 1 Missing Also Presumed Dead

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Eight (8) people are confirmed dead and another presumed dead following a devastating avalanche during a backcountry skiing expedition on the California side of Lake Tahoe on Tuesday (17th February, 2026). The bodies of those killed remain at the scene, where significant avalanche risk persists.

Six (6) others in the party survived while one (1) person is still missing, though presumed dead, officials said, as searchers fight near-whiteout conditions in the area. The survivors range in age from thirty (30) to fifty-five (55) years old.

According to reports, the avalanche, about the length of a football field, struck around 11:30 AM local time on Tuesday, sometime after the group of skiers left a set of backcountry huts at Frog Lake, according to Blackbird Mountain Guides, which had four (4) guides leading the trip. The skiers had been staying at the lake, which is located Northwest of Lake Tahoe and North of the Donner Summit, since Sunday (15th February, 2026).

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Blackbird Mountain Guides said, “The group was in the process of returning to the trailhead at the conclusion of a three-day trip when the incident occurred.”

Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon told reporters, “We did have conversation with the families of the folks that are still outstanding and let them know that our mission has went from a rescue to a recovery.” Moon added, “It’s a difficult conversation to have with loved ones.” 

According to Moon, “The risk is still as high with the mission moving to a recovery. We want to really make sure that our first response responders are safe.”

The six (6) surviving skiers took shelter in a treed area as they waited for hours for rescuers to traverse risky avalanche terrain in a whiteout to reach them.

Moon said the survivors found three (3) bodies before rescuers reached them. Two (2) survivors were injured and had to be transported out by rescue crews; the others were able to travel on their own with emergency responders. Two (2) survivors were hospitalized, both with non-life-threatening injuries, and one (1) has been released, according to Moon.

Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo, whose Deputies are assisting in the search, said it could be some time before all nine (9) bodies can be recovered. “We’re all so committed to seeing this through until the end,” Woo said. “At this point, I’m going to have to wait for, hopefully, a decent break in the weather and make sure we get every last soul off that mountain.”

The avalanche initially left nine (9) unaccounted for. The Sheriff’s office was able to remain in contact with the six (6) survivors via an emergency satellite messaging service that allowed them to send text messages. Authorities sent a search-and-rescue team on skis into the area on Tuesday afternoon after receiving notice of the avalanche from Blackbird Mountain Guides and through the satellite messaging system.

Forecasters were said to have been concerned that blizzard conditions could cause what's called a “storm slab avalanche,” which is when intense snowfall creates a consolidated layer of snow that does not bond to weaker layers below. The layer essentially shears off and cascades downslope in a matter of seconds.

In an initial report, the avalanche forecasting center said the avalanche occurred on a North-facing slope at an elevation of around 8,200 feet. The location is about a half-mile from the Frog Lake Backcountry Huts.

Although avalanches often cause physical trauma — head injuries, broken bones and torn ligaments — the biggest risk is suffocation during a burial longer than fifteen (15) to twenty (20) minutes.

The United States had an average of twenty-seven (27) avalanche deaths each year over the past ten (10) years, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

More on this as it becomes available. 

[Source: NBC News]

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