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Backcountry Tahoe Avalanche today
- Thread starter Amie H
- Start date
Interesting avalanche science info from physicist and skier on The Conversation:
theconversation.com
Tahoe avalanche: What causes snow slopes to collapse? A physicist and skier explains, with tips for surviving
An avalanche during a storm in the Sierra Nevada killed at least eight skiers on a guided backcountry excursion.
theconversation.com
Denverokie
Certified Ski Diva
That’s just devastating for those that passed and those that survived.
Read my post above.
The Sugarbowl team parents take a week. First the dads then the moms to have some fun in the backcountry.
I'm gutted about this and though I don't know the names yet, I'm pretty sure I know someone and if not I know someone who knows someone.
And see also that one of the women who died is the wife of one of the rescuers.
These are all Sugarbowl moms.
If you didn't get to see the briefing yesterday, here is the play on YT
www.youtube.com
LIVE: Nevada County Sheriff Gives Update on Search and Rescue After Lake Tahoe Avalanche | AF15
Officials from the Nevada County Sheriff's Office hold a press briefing in Nevada City with the latest updates on search and rescue operations following an a...
www.youtube.com
Agree.
The people involved are from a tight knit community and all related in some way, whether by blood, team relationships or work relationships or school relationships.....
This is going to have a big ripple effect that will be massive for some time to come.
GreenMtnDiva
Certified Ski Diva
Absolutely devastating and tragic news. My heart goes out to the community and the families.
Yes, I read that...i was just surprised it was a ladies' group... and then thought, "wow, how cool all these women ski tour..." followed immediately by," oh man somehow this makes me even more sad..."
6 of the 8 victims have been identified.
www.actionnewsnow.com
Six of eight victims in deadly California avalanche identified by families
Six families are mourning the loss of loved ones after an avalanche near Castle Peak in Nevada County claimed the lives of several women. The tragedy occurred during a planned
Another article.
By all accounts, these clients were affluent women who were highly intelligent and very accomplished.
Two of the women were sister. That's double the loss in one family .
www.sfgate.com
By all accounts, these clients were affluent women who were highly intelligent and very accomplished.
Two of the women were sister. That's double the loss in one family .
3 women identified as Tahoe avalanche victims, including Stanford alums
The avalanche is the deadliest in California since modern record keeping began.
www.sfgate.com
Been following this story… feel so bad for the families and community. We are also part of a ski academy community. Several of the moms tour together when the kids are racing.
just gutted. I can’t imagine how everyone is doing after the fact. My heart goes out to them all.
just gutted. I can’t imagine how everyone is doing after the fact. My heart goes out to them all.
That's what makes this even more tragic.
The sense of community we have is incredibly tight.
I thought our Tahoe forecaster's words on this yesterday morning were nice:
opensnow.com
Behind a paywall, here's the relevant portion:
We typically stick just to weather and skiing on this site. Weather and mountains for me have always been an escape from the noise of life, and we like to provide that for you, too. Weather with a side of skiing is what we serve here, not much in the way of news, and never politics or anything else that you can get almost anywhere else.
Living and recreating in the mountains and communities that we love, we deal with the risks that come along with that. I've lived in mountain communities and worked in the ski resort and weather industry for the last 35 years, and have seen a lot of tragedy, some hitting close to home. Many times, it doesn't make the news as accidents happen regularly at work, at play, or while traveling through the mountains.
This week is different as all eyes were already on the Sierra with the biggest storm in 3 years approaching. Then tragedy struck Tuesday morning when an avalanche buried a group of local skiers and guides that were making their way back from a hut trip to get home as the storm was getting worse. 9 were buried and didn't survive.
The combination of the big storm and then the worst CA avalanche tragedy in history, and the 2nd worst in the U.S., has made global news. So we don't need to give you the news. I was out in the blizzard reporting Tuesday morning and heard the news Tuesday afternoon, but still had few details until after my early morning post Wednesday morning, which is why I didn't mention it.
Many people (mostly from outside of our mountain community here in Tahoe) have been quick to criticize those involved, and I even woke up this morning to a message from a forecaster from another town in CA criticizing me for continuing the tradition yesterday of shaving my beard after 3+ feet of snow fell in 24 hours.
The reason I'm diverting from just the weather for a few minutes this morning is that this tragedy has affected our community, and it is very somber around town. I've been able to spend time with several close friends over the last few days and other locals in shops, and it's what everyone is talking about, sometimes with tears, as we knew some of those involved, and we are remembering all of the friends we have lost over the years.
For those of us who live, work, and recreate in these beautiful mountains. We know the dangers, we respect them, but nature is ultimately in control. I've hit trees, fallen headfirst in deep snow and couldn't get up without help, been in slides, slidden off the road driving, etc. It's only by the grace of God that many of us are still here to see another day in these mountains.
So this week, while we are grateful for the much-needed snow and in awe of what nature can deliver to these mountains, we are watching it with somber hearts. We are sad as a community and for the families and friends involved. We have been praying for the families of those who didn't make it out. We are hugging our kids a little tighter, our spouses a little longer, and embracing time spent with friends.
It always hits me hard when I know people involved, or I know that some read these forecasts every morning. Both are the case with this. I feel connected to all of you after 20 years of chasing storms together. Those lost loved this community, loved the mountains, and loved the weather they brought. When we lose people, sometimes we honor them by continuing to do the things they enjoyed with us.
This is not a week for criticizing. It's for remembering, for community, and a reminder of the risks involved with enjoying these beautiful mountains. I'll be helping the SAR teams with weather forecasts over the next couple of days as they search for the remaining person. Keep them and the victims' families in your prayers.
Somber Snowstorms... | Tahoe Daily Snow Forecast | OpenSnow
Continued snow on Thursday with gusty winds. Partly sunny and calmer for Friday. Clouds and sun for the weekend with...
Behind a paywall, here's the relevant portion:
We typically stick just to weather and skiing on this site. Weather and mountains for me have always been an escape from the noise of life, and we like to provide that for you, too. Weather with a side of skiing is what we serve here, not much in the way of news, and never politics or anything else that you can get almost anywhere else.
Living and recreating in the mountains and communities that we love, we deal with the risks that come along with that. I've lived in mountain communities and worked in the ski resort and weather industry for the last 35 years, and have seen a lot of tragedy, some hitting close to home. Many times, it doesn't make the news as accidents happen regularly at work, at play, or while traveling through the mountains.
This week is different as all eyes were already on the Sierra with the biggest storm in 3 years approaching. Then tragedy struck Tuesday morning when an avalanche buried a group of local skiers and guides that were making their way back from a hut trip to get home as the storm was getting worse. 9 were buried and didn't survive.
The combination of the big storm and then the worst CA avalanche tragedy in history, and the 2nd worst in the U.S., has made global news. So we don't need to give you the news. I was out in the blizzard reporting Tuesday morning and heard the news Tuesday afternoon, but still had few details until after my early morning post Wednesday morning, which is why I didn't mention it.
Many people (mostly from outside of our mountain community here in Tahoe) have been quick to criticize those involved, and I even woke up this morning to a message from a forecaster from another town in CA criticizing me for continuing the tradition yesterday of shaving my beard after 3+ feet of snow fell in 24 hours.
The reason I'm diverting from just the weather for a few minutes this morning is that this tragedy has affected our community, and it is very somber around town. I've been able to spend time with several close friends over the last few days and other locals in shops, and it's what everyone is talking about, sometimes with tears, as we knew some of those involved, and we are remembering all of the friends we have lost over the years.
For those of us who live, work, and recreate in these beautiful mountains. We know the dangers, we respect them, but nature is ultimately in control. I've hit trees, fallen headfirst in deep snow and couldn't get up without help, been in slides, slidden off the road driving, etc. It's only by the grace of God that many of us are still here to see another day in these mountains.
So this week, while we are grateful for the much-needed snow and in awe of what nature can deliver to these mountains, we are watching it with somber hearts. We are sad as a community and for the families and friends involved. We have been praying for the families of those who didn't make it out. We are hugging our kids a little tighter, our spouses a little longer, and embracing time spent with friends.
It always hits me hard when I know people involved, or I know that some read these forecasts every morning. Both are the case with this. I feel connected to all of you after 20 years of chasing storms together. Those lost loved this community, loved the mountains, and loved the weather they brought. When we lose people, sometimes we honor them by continuing to do the things they enjoyed with us.
This is not a week for criticizing. It's for remembering, for community, and a reminder of the risks involved with enjoying these beautiful mountains. I'll be helping the SAR teams with weather forecasts over the next couple of days as they search for the remaining person. Keep them and the victims' families in your prayers.
I read Bryan Allegretto’s post yesterday and was humbled by it.
Saw this article in The NY Times, it interviews 2 skiers who were in the same area as the group, but left before the storm. Here is a gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/...e_code=1.OFA.QKwm.HpnbgRkFX9pS&smid=url-share
If the gift link doesn't work, here is an excerpt:
If the party had simply stayed until Thursday, Mr. Gensheimer said, the members would have walked out alive. What the backcountry world is grappling with now is why they didn’t.
A longer, flatter route east — rated “simple” on the land trust’s own website — might have taken the group out with less avalanche exposure. The route the Blackbird party appears to have taken is rated “complex,” with what the land trust described as “many avalanche starting zones and terrain traps.”
Neither man was there on Tuesday. They do not know what the Blackbird guides knew or what led to the decision to leave. What Mr. Gensheimer does know is that at least eight people are dead — among them six women identified by their families as mothers, wives and close friends connected through a love of the outdoors. Three of the dead were Blackbird guides. He has friends who work for the company.
Mr. Beckering brings a different frame. For someone who has spent three decades in these mountains, big weather in the Sierra is not something to sit out — it is something to navigate. A high-danger rating does not mean a skier stops, he said; it means he chooses safe terrain.
In a text message after an interview, Mr. Beckering offered a sobering assessment. If his own party had needed to get out on Tuesday, he would have taken the route the Blackbird guides took, he said. Even with all his years in the backcountry, Mr. Beckering said, he would have thought it was a “go.” This was, in his words, a “rare bird” avalanche — not skiers charging into a known path, but people traversing a route that does not usually prove fatal.
“Right now is not a time to be critical,” Mr. Beckering said. “It’s a time to support.”
If the gift link doesn't work, here is an excerpt:
If the party had simply stayed until Thursday, Mr. Gensheimer said, the members would have walked out alive. What the backcountry world is grappling with now is why they didn’t.
A longer, flatter route east — rated “simple” on the land trust’s own website — might have taken the group out with less avalanche exposure. The route the Blackbird party appears to have taken is rated “complex,” with what the land trust described as “many avalanche starting zones and terrain traps.”
Neither man was there on Tuesday. They do not know what the Blackbird guides knew or what led to the decision to leave. What Mr. Gensheimer does know is that at least eight people are dead — among them six women identified by their families as mothers, wives and close friends connected through a love of the outdoors. Three of the dead were Blackbird guides. He has friends who work for the company.
Mr. Beckering brings a different frame. For someone who has spent three decades in these mountains, big weather in the Sierra is not something to sit out — it is something to navigate. A high-danger rating does not mean a skier stops, he said; it means he chooses safe terrain.
In a text message after an interview, Mr. Beckering offered a sobering assessment. If his own party had needed to get out on Tuesday, he would have taken the route the Blackbird guides took, he said. Even with all his years in the backcountry, Mr. Beckering said, he would have thought it was a “go.” This was, in his words, a “rare bird” avalanche — not skiers charging into a known path, but people traversing a route that does not usually prove fatal.
“Right now is not a time to be critical,” Mr. Beckering said. “It’s a time to support.”
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