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Ten skiers were missing and another six were stranded successful an avalanche that struck a backcountry slope adjacent Lake Tahoe successful the midst of dense snowfall successful California’s Sierra Nevada mountains connected Tuesday (February 17, 2026), authorities said.
The avalanche swept the Castle Peak country of Truckee, California, astir 10 miles northbound of Lake Tahoe, at astir 11:30 a.m. Pacific time, engulfing a radical of 16 skiers, according to a Facebook connection posted by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
The radical consisted of 4 skis guides and 12 clients. At slightest six survived and remained astatine the avalanche tract awaiting rescue, portion the others were unaccounted for, the connection said.
A conveyance is buried successful snowfall during a tempest connected February 17, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP
If each 10 of the missing skiers should perish, the incidental would fertile among the deadliest azygous avalanches connected grounds successful the United States. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has tallied six U.S. avalanche fatalities so acold this season.
Avalanches person claimed an average of 27 lives each wintertime successful the United States implicit the past decade, the centre reported.
A wintertime tempest informing was successful effect for overmuch of bluish California connected Tuesday (February 17, 2026), with dense snowfall forecast in the precocious elevations of the Sierra Nevada.
The Sierra Avalanche Center had posted an alert earlier dawn connected Tuesday (February 17, 2026) informing of a “high avalanche danger” successful the backcountry skis region, the sheriff’s connection said.
Rescue skis teams were dispatched to the avalanche portion from the Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center, and dozens of exigency unit had arrived astatine the scene.
Weather conditions stay highly hazardous successful the Sierra backcountry slopes, with further avalanche enactment expected done Tuesday nighttime and into Wednesday, according to the statement.
California Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed connected the avalanche, and authorities authorities were “coordinating an all-hands search-and-rescue effort” successful conjunction with section exigency teams, his bureau said successful a posting connected X.
