A massive back country avalanche near Lake Tahoe has claimed the lives of eight people, with the ninth person presumed dead, making the deadliest in California’s history and the worst in the United States since 1981.
On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, around 11:30 a.m., a “football field-sized” slab of snow was released in the Castle Peak area near Donner Summit. The slide struck a group of 15 skiers, 11 clients and four professional guides, who were on the final leg of a three day expedition organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides.
The tragedy has devastated local communities across Northern California and Idaho. Six of the victims were a close group of experienced skiers and mothers. Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabuagh, Daniele Keatley, Kate Morse, Carlone Sekar and Kate Vitt. Three professional guides also had passed.
The disaster occurred despite a Level 4 avalanche warning was issued by Sierra Avalanche Center. Investigators from Cal- OSHA are now debating the decision to proceed with the trek given the outlandish conditions. While the guides were highly certified, experts say that a “persistent weak layer” in the snow pack, created by a dry January then followed by heavy February storms made the land extremely unstable.
The sierra Nevada slide was part of a lethal week for mountain enthusiasts worldwide. On the same day separate avalanches in Valloire and La Grave killed three people. Earlier on February 13, three others died in Val d’Isère. Other fatal slides were reported in Courmayeur, Italy and Airolo, Switzerland, where unstable snow conditions reached critical legal access across the Alpine crescent.
Recovery efforts for the final missing individuals at Castle Peak are still going through even though blizzard conditions are continuing. With that being said few survivors have given their own experience to the world. One survivor described that being buried felt like “being encased in concrete” stating that they were unable to move even a finger until they were located by others.
Survivors who were not fully buried or managed to become free began using beacons and probes to find their other peers. They felt the frantic and desperate nature of digging realizing that the depth of the snow was too much for a quick rescue. Some have told the public that the reassurance of being with Blackbird Mountain Guides who are highly trained individuals made this whole event event more shocking due to the suddenness of this catastrophe.
