A group of skiers caught in a significant avalanche in California used tarps to create a makeshift shelter.
They had to resort to this while rescuers faced a severe snowstorm as they searched for them in a remote area close to Lake Tahoe on Tuesday night.
It seems that 16 individuals were affected by the frightening avalanche that struck on Tuesday morning. While six survived, ten are still unaccounted for.
Nevada County Sheriff’s Lt. Russell Greene provided alarming updates about the situation, indicating that he was utilizing emergency beacons to locate survivors.
In some hopeful news, he mentioned receiving text messages from a few individuals via the beacon system, though he didn’t go into details about their contents.
He said, “They’re doing everything possible. They have relocated, built makeshift shelters with tarps, and are trying their best to wait for rescue.”
Greene mentioned that snowmobiles had been introduced and were on standby, while some were skiing to help the rescue efforts.
This incident drew attention after a tour company, Blackbird Mountain Guides, acknowledged that 12 clients and four guides were at the Frog Lake cabin in the Castle Peak area at the time of the avalanche.
The skiers were coming back from a three-day tour when the avalanche hit.
“Blackbird Mountain Guides is responding to a grave backcountry incident involving an avalanche that occurred near Frog Lake Hut on February 17th,” the company stated.
The group had been at the Frog Lake cabin since February 15th and was returning to the trailhead when disaster struck.
The leadership team from Blackbird Mountain Guides is currently cooperating with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue to aid in the ongoing operations.
Additionally, they’re in constant communication with the affected clients and their emergency contacts, ensuring that updates are shared as they receive confirmed information.
The avalanche occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Castle Peak, a short drive from Truckee, amid a winter storm.
While six skiers survived the avalanche’s initial impact, they were advised to stay in the hut throughout the unfolding rescue operations.
Some people quickly began to question why these skiers were allowed in such an area, especially since the severe storm had been forecast for days prior to the event.
Kurt Gensheimer, who had been on site from Thursday to Sunday but left before the front hit, stated that the event was “preventable.”
He remarked, “I left before the storm hit,” adding that it felt like an entirely avoidable tragedy.
On social media, others echoed this sentiment. Don Coelho expressed concern about the choices made, wishing for their safety and urging important lessons to be learned.
Ken Buck criticized the decision-making of the guides, while Heather Sears highlighted her worry about the guides’ judgment considering the warnings.
The group was at Frog Lake Backcountry Huts, which offers a variety of sleeping arrangements for skiers in the mountain.
The site’s website notes that various routes leading to the hut involve avalanche terrain and require adequate safety education and equipment.
The plan was for the group to depart Frog Lake Hut on Tuesday morning, just before the avalanche occurred.
Following the distressing event, a large-scale search operation was initiated, deploying 46 first responders to the area.
Rescue teams utilized snowmobiles and skis to assist the six survivors, who were instructed to remain in a safe spot until help arrived.
There’s still uncertainty regarding the identities of the missing skiers. Unfortunately, an avalanche warning remains in effect for the area until Wednesday.
The Sierra Avalanche Center had previously issued a warning, stating that “avalanche danger is extremely high in remote areas,” according to a Nevada County Sheriff’s Office update.
Significant avalanches were anticipated to take place in backcountry terrains throughout Tuesday night and likely into early Wednesday morning, making the danger persist throughout that day.
According to the Sierra Avalanche Center, avalanches are assessed on a scale of 1 to 5, and Tuesday’s event was pegged at a level 2.5, which can result in injuries or fatalities and often accumulates snow over extensive areas.
