Details Emerge After Avalanche at Lake Tahoe

A week following a tragic avalanche that claimed nine lives, more information about the catastrophic event near Lake Tahoe has been revealed. This includes never-before-seen images of the mountain where the incident took place.

The Sierra Avalanche Center has released photos from the site along with details concerning the frantic rescue operations that unfolded over several days.

Reports indicate that around 11:30 a.m. on February 17, a group of 15 skiers found themselves below Perry’s Peak when a powerful storm triggered a significant avalanche on the north-facing slope, which stands at 8,260 feet.

This major avalanche surged approximately 400 vertical feet down the slope, completely burying 12 of the 15 skiers.

The center has issued a series of reports, maps, and dramatic footage, creating a timeline of this deadly avalanche, now recognized as the worst in California’s history.

Rescue teams arrived late Tuesday afternoon, braving darkness and heavy rain to reach the disaster site. Some skiers who were not buried managed to dig out three members of their party prior to professional help arriving.

On the first night, crews managed to uncover eight of the nine deceased skiers and safely evacuated six survivors to the Frog Lake Hut, where they later received medical treatment.

Following the storm, an avalanche mitigation operation took place on February 20. A helicopter equipped to carry a large water bucket was deployed to drop water onto strategic areas, aimed at stabilizing the snowpack.

Due to these efforts, five more bodies were recovered and another was located just before nightfall. Rescue operations wrapped up on February 21 with the retrieval of the last four victims.

This disaster at Castle Peak has left the close-knit mountain community in shock.

Blackbird Mountain Guides, the company overseeing the tour, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of guides Andrew Alisandratos, Niki Chu, and Mike Henry. Among the victims was Carrie Atkin, a mother of six, who was with a close group of friends during the outing. Additionally, Kate Morse, Daniel Keetley, Kate Witt, along with sisters Caroline Sekar and Liz Klobaugh, also perished.

The families later issued a joint statement honoring the women.

On Saturday, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office released the names of all nine victims, who had gathered for a vigil in downtown Truckee.

Of the six survivors, only Jim Hamilton has been publicly identified; he was rescued approximately six hours after the avalanche. His wife, Beth Hamilton, shared her emotional response in a Facebook post, saying, “We thought we lost you forever. Not knowing if I was going to survive was an indescribable pain.”