Overview
- Crews restarted recovery operations using helicopter overflights and controlled explosives to reduce avalanche risk; eight victims have been recovered and one remains missing and presumed dead.
- Tahoe National Forest closed lands and trails around Castle Peak through March 15 to protect first responders and keep the public clear of ongoing operations.
- The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office is examining whether criminal negligence played a role, while Cal/OSHA has launched a separate workplace‑safety investigation of Blackbird Mountain Guides.
- A guided group of 15—four guides and 11 clients returning from the Frog Lake huts—was struck during a severe storm after the Sierra Avalanche Center posted high avalanche danger bulletins.
- Families named six victims as Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar and Kate Vitt, and the event is the deadliest U.S. avalanche since 1981.