Avalanche near Castle Peak in Nevada County: nine presumed dead, recovery limited by weather

Sheriff Shannon Moon of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said an avalanche struck a guided backcountry trip near Castle Peak in the Tahoe National Forest late on Feb. 17, triggering a multi-agency rescue and recovery operation. Officials said six people were rescued and transported as needed; eight decedents have been located on the slope and one person remained unaccounted for and is presumed deceased as of the press conference.

The incident was reported to dispatch at about 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 17, Moon said, and involved a multi-day guided trip operated by Blackbird Mountain Guides that was returning from the Frog Lake huts. "We have a regional dispatch center here in Nevada County" and the 911 call tracked to the Castle Peak area, Moon said. She described the site as remote backcountry adjacent to Interstate 80 near Donner Summit and not a groomed ski area.

Moon described severe weather and avalanche conditions at the site, saying responders had to deploy snowcats and skiers into very hazardous conditions. "Extreme weather conditions ... making it impossible to see," Moon said, adding that teams skied the final miles into the scene because tracked vehicles could not safely reach the slope. She said the decision-making focus remained on responder safety as the mission shifted from search to recovery.

Placer County Sheriff Wayne Wu confirmed his office and local volunteer teams assisted: "We work very closely together, and we value that relationship," he said, noting Placer contributed two snowcats and 28 Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue members. Wu said one of the decedents recovered is the spouse of a Tahoe Nordic member and urged the public to avoid mountain travel while recovery continues: "Please avoid the Sierras during this current storm."

Don O'Keefe of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said Cal OES coordinated mutual-aid requests and that specialized equipment needs had been met; he emphasized the role of mostly volunteer search-and-rescue personnel. Chris Futrier, Forest Supervisor of the Tahoe National Forest, relayed an Avalanche Center assessment that the slide was roughly "about a football field in length" and resulted from a persistent weak layer that has since reloaded with about three feet of additional snow, keeping hazard levels high.

Officials gave evolving counts and cautioned that numbers changed as the investigation continued. Moon said rescuers initially contacted six survivors via phone communications and then located the survivors and additional decedents on scene. Captain Rusty Green, the incident commander during the initial operational period, said the group and recovered bodies were found "fairly close together" and that only the injured survivors were flown or driven from the slope last night because of steep, vertical terrain.

Two survivors received hospital treatment (one stabilized and released; one expected to be released), and other survivors were released at scene after evaluation. Moon said ages of the rescued ranged roughly from 30 to 55. She also said the guide company provided manifests and cooperated with investigators. Moon repeated that final cause of death will be determined by Placer County pathology under existing contract and that identification remains pending.

Multiple reporters raised questions about whether warnings or guide decisions could have prevented the incident and about what locator technology the group used. Officials said they received both iPhone SOS messages and avalanche-beacon signals; Cal OES personnel said they exchanged text communications with a guide during the incident. Officials emphasized they were still investigating communications, decision factors and the full sequence of events before drawing conclusions.

Moon said crews have staged operations at Boreal Ski Resort and later at the Truckee Substation on Donner Pass Road and that the Nevada County Sheriff's Office will post updates to its Facebook page and media list. "This incident remains ongoing," she said. "Our focus remains on recovering, but the snow and the unsure conditions are creating an issue to making sure that we can safely do that."

Next steps: responders said they will continue to monitor weather and the avalanche hazard, maintain a command post in Truckee, and attempt further recoveries as soon as conditions allow. Officials asked the public to avoid backcountry travel until the area is deemed safe and to check the Sierra Avalanche Center for forecasts and guidance.