California Governor Gavin Newsom shared on Thursday that some of his “family friends” were among the backcountry skiers who tragically lost their lives in an avalanche near Lake Tahoe.
During a unrelated news conference, he mentioned, “I’m just discovering that we have many mutual friends in Marin County,” revealing that some victims were longtime acquaintances of his wife’s.
“This is just an absolute tragedy—the most devastating avalanche we’ve experienced in terms of loss of life,” he remarked.
Out of the 15 individuals caught in the avalanche, eight have died, and a further missing skier is presumed dead while six others were rescued.
Search and rescue operations were suspended Thursday due to perilous weather conditions, leaving the bodies on the mountain, which is still covered in snow.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office stated, “We are unable to safely remove the avalanche victims from the mountain today. Recovery efforts are expected to continue through the weekend.”
According to Newsom, nearly 100 first responders were involved in the search efforts. Details about the group have been sparse, yet it was confirmed they were aged between 30 and 55. By late Thursday, the identities of the six women who died had been released.
The deceased include sisters Caroline Sekar, 45, and Liz Clabaugh, 52, along with Kate Witt, a mother of two and former vice president of SiriusXM. The other victims were identified as Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keetley, and Kate Morse.
The families of the victims released a poignant statement, saying, “We are heartbroken,” and added that they are doing their utmost to support each other in a way that aligns with what their loved ones would have wanted.
Blackbird Mountain Guides, the company responsible for the backcountry trip, confirmed the loss of three “experienced members,” expressing their grief in a statement: “This was a heartbreaking tragedy and the saddest event our team has ever faced.”
They also noted that law enforcement is investigating the company, given that this is the deadliest incident that has occurred at Castle Peak in modern history. They remarked, “There is still much we don’t know about what transpired. It’s too soon to reach any conclusions, but the investigation is ongoing.”
In conclusion, they mentioned, “Our primary focus is to support those directly affected and meet their needs. Therefore, we will suspend field operations until at least February 22nd, possibly extending that for another week or two.”
