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10 missing during avalanche in California
Six backcountry skiers were found alive and 10 others were missing Tuesday after an avalanche in Northern California.
Six backcountry skiers were located during an avalanche in the Northern California mountains, but at least 10 skiers remain missing.
What we know:
Search and rescue crews were dispatched to Frog Lake in the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe, after someone called 911 at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday to report an avalanche with people buried.
Hours later, Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, said six skiers had been located and were asked to shelter in place "as best they can" until they can be reached.
The group was on the last day of a three-day backcountry skiing trip, said Steve Reynaud, a Tahoe National Forest avalanche forecaster with the Sierra Avalanche Center. Reynaud said his group has had contact with people on the ground in the area. He said the skiers had spent two nights in huts on a trip that required navigating "rugged mountainous terrain" on backcountry skis for up to 4 miles and bringing along all food and supplies.
Nevada County Sheriff Capt. Russell Greene said authorities were notified about the avalanche by the ski tour company that took the group to Castle Peak and by emergency beacons the skiers were carrying.
What they're saying:
"They are doing the best they can. They have taken refuge in an area, they have made up a makeshift shelter with a tarp and are doing everything they can to survive and wait for rescue," Greene told a local television station.
He said rescue teams are making their way to the group cautiously because the danger of triggering more avalanches remains high.
"We have brought in snowcats. We have snowmobiles on standby. We have individuals on skis. We have several different ways that people are attempting to get there," he said. "It’s just going to be a slow, tedious process."
Dig deeper:
The company leading the trip, Blackbird Mountain Guides, said in a statement on its website that it was coordinating with authorities on the rescue operation. It said 12 clients and four guides were in the group.
RELATED: Los Angeles weather: Second storm to bring another round of rain, mountain snow to SoCal
California was hit with a powerful winter storm this week which brought heavy rain, thunderstorms, high winds and snow in the mountain areas.
The center issued an avalanche warning for the area in the Central Sierra Nevada, including the Greater Lake Tahoe region, starting at 5 a.m. Tuesday with large slides expected into Wednesday.
The dangerous conditions were caused by rapidly accumulating snowfall piling on fragile snowpack layers coupled with gale-force winds.
Several ski resorts around Lake Tahoe were fully or partially closed due to the extreme weather. The resorts along highways have avalanche mitigation programs and were not expected to be at as high of a risk as the backcountry where travel in, near or below the avalanche terrain was strongly discouraged, the center said.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, Blackbird Mountain Guides, the Sierra Avalanche Center, and the Associated Press.