Overview
- The Sierra Avalanche Center reports that 12 of 15 skiers were buried and three unburied companions used transceivers, probes and shovels to dig out three people.
- Forecasters classified the slide as a large storm‑slab/soft‑slab that ran about 400 vertical feet on a north to northwest slope below Perry’s Peak.
- Crews reached the site late Feb. 17, evacuated six survivors, recovered eight bodies that night, located the ninth on Feb. 20, and finished recoveries on Feb. 21 after helicopter water‑bucket mitigation by PG&E.
- All nine victims have been recovered and identified, including three Blackbird Mountain Guides employees, in what officials describe as the deadliest modern California avalanche.
- The Nevada County Sheriff has opened a criminal‑negligence inquiry and Cal/OSHA is investigating workplace safety; Blackbird has suspended field operations, attorneys anticipate civil suits, and Tahoe National Forest has restricted the Castle Peak area through mid‑March.