Overview
- Authorities say a 16‑person guided group of four mountain guides and 12 clients was caught in the slide around 11:30 a.m., with six located alive and about 10 unaccounted for.
- The six survivors were instructed to shelter in place and are communicating with officials via emergency beacons as rescuers approach cautiously.
- At least 46 first responders, including specialized ski‑rescue teams from Boreal Mountain and Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek plus SnoCats, are deployed, with helicopter access reported impossible in current conditions.
- The Sierra Avalanche Center issued a warning for high danger, citing rapidly accumulating snow, fragile weak layers and strong winds, while snowfall rates near 2–3 inches per hour created near‑zero visibility.
- Interstate 80 and Highway 50 saw storm closures as the powerful system shuttered some ski areas, and the incident follows a January fatal avalanche in the Castle Peak/Truckee area.