US: Winter storm fuels dangerous avalanche, 10 skiers missing near Truckee

Ten backcountry skiers are missing after an avalanche struck near Castle Peak in California’s Tahoe National Forest on February 17, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.

The Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team, alongside other local agencies, mobilised early morning after an avalanche was reported in the Donner Pass area, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The group involved 16 skiers—four ski guides and 12 clients—who encountered the avalanche at approximately 11:30 a.m., according to a news release from the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

Six of the skiers have been accounted for and are sheltering at the site, awaiting rescue. The remaining 10 are still unaccounted for as of 3:43 p.m.

The avalanche occurred northwest of Frog Lake at an elevation of about 8,200 feet, roughly eight miles northwest of Truckee, California, according to the Sierra Avalanche Centre. Officials said the avalanche was rated D2.5 on a scale of D1 to D5, meaning it has the potential to bury or kill a person and could extend over the length of a football field.

Rescue efforts are ongoing, with 46 emergency responders deployed across multiple agencies. Highly skilled rescue ski teams departed from Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Centre to reach the six survivors. A SnoCat team from Alder Creek was also launched to assist in the operation. Officials warned that weather conditions remain “highly dangerous.”

The avalanche coincides with a major winter storm that has dropped more than two feet of snow in parts of the Tahoe area. The Central Sierra Nevada region, including Castle Peak and the Lake Tahoe area, faced a high avalanche risk on February 17, with warnings in effect through 5 a.m. on February 18.

The Sierra Avalanche Centre cautioned that “all avalanche terrain is suspect” and that a “widespread natural avalanche cycle is expected over the next 24 hours.”

Castle Peak, a 9,103-foot summit of Donner Summit, is a popular destination for backcountry skiing. Authorities continue to urge extreme caution in the area until the storm subsides.

By Aghakazim Guliyev