Avalanche near Tahoe | Rescue crews pause recovery of victims

Crews will have to pause their efforts in trying to recover the bodies of the skiers who died in an avalanche, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday, explaining that weather conditions are too hazardous.Eight skiers were killed in a Tuesday morning avalanche near the Castle Peak area, close to Truckee. A search continues for a ninth skier who is believed to also be dead.But the bodies have yet to be pulled from the mountain as days of Sierra snowstorms — dumping several feet of snow — have made conditions too unsafe for crews. The sheriff’s office said it expects to carry out recovery efforts over the weekend and that until then, it will not be able to identify any of the victims.Officials said weather, not resources, is what is making recovering the bodies difficult. Steep terrain is another added challenge.A group of 15 skiers was concluding a three-day trip while staying at the Frog Lake huts when they were swept away. Hours later, search and rescue crews were able to access the site of the avalanche and found six survivors: a Blackbird Mountain Guide employee and five clients.| RELATED | What we know so far about the avalancheThree other guides and six clients died, officials said. Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo, whose agency is assisting Nevada County, said in a Wednesday news conference that one of the victims was married to a search and rescue team member.On Thursday, families identified six of the victims who died, saying the women were part of a group of eight close friends on the trip and all were experienced backcountry skiers. The six were identified as: Carrie AtkinLiz ClabaughDanielle KeatleyKate MorseCaroline SekarKate Vitt”We are devastated beyond words,” a statement from the families said. “Our focus right now is supporting our children through this incredible tragedy and honoring the lives of these extraordinary women. They were all mothers, wives and friends, all of whom connected through the love of the outdoors.”The statement said all were “passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains.”They lived in the San Francisco Bay area, Idaho and the Truckee-Tahoe region. Since the avalanche, Cal/OSHA confirmed to KCRA 3 that it is conducting an investigation involving the guides employed by Blackbird Mountain Guides. While the duration of the investigation may vary, Cal/OSHA has up to six months to complete an investigation and issue citations if it finds any violations in workplace safety regulations.Hours prior to the tragedy, the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning, which included the backcountry area the skiers were in.The Associated Press reports that the skiers have deep ties to the alpine recreation community in Lake Tahoe, including Sugar Bowl Academy.Mayor Max Perrey of Marin County’s Mill Valley, a small city about 14 miles (22 kilometers) north of San Francisco, confirmed that some in the group were women from his city. He was not able to provide additional details but told The Associated Press via email that more information would be released later.This avalanche is the deadliest in California’s recorded history. Data from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center shows that this marks the state’s 57th fatal avalanche since 1950.City of Truckee plans vigil this weekendMeanwhile, Truckee Mayor Anna Klovstad said the community is planning a vigil and other events for grieving, including mental health support next week.”The picture behind me is of the Alpine meadows range. This is where I fell in love with my husband and I raised my kids on the ski slopes and on mountain bike trails,” Klovstad said. “It’s deeply personal, and I will actually say that right now what our community needs is respect and holding space for us. I know a lot of people out there are speculating and questioning why this group was out. That’s not helpful. That’s not productive for our community and we need your support now more than ever.”The vigil will be held in downtown Truckee on Sunday evening.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channelPHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=

NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. —

Crews will have to pause their efforts in trying to recover the bodies of the skiers who died in an avalanche, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday, explaining that weather conditions are too hazardous.

Eight skiers were killed in a Tuesday morning avalanche near the Castle Peak area, close to Truckee. A search continues for a ninth skier who is believed to also be dead.

But the bodies have yet to be pulled from the mountain as days of Sierra snowstorms — dumping several feet of snow — have made conditions too unsafe for crews. The sheriff’s office said it expects to carry out recovery efforts over the weekend and that until then, it will not be able to identify any of the victims.

Officials said weather, not resources, is what is making recovering the bodies difficult. Steep terrain is another added challenge.

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A group of 15 skiers was concluding a three-day trip while staying at the Frog Lake huts when they were swept away. Hours later, search and rescue crews were able to access the site of the avalanche and found six survivors: a Blackbird Mountain Guide employee and five clients.

| RELATED | What we know so far about the avalanche

Three other guides and six clients died, officials said. Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo, whose agency is assisting Nevada County, said in a Wednesday news conference that one of the victims was married to a search and rescue team member.

On Thursday, families identified six of the victims who died, saying the women were part of a group of eight close friends on the trip and all were experienced backcountry skiers.

The six were identified as:

Carrie AtkinLiz ClabaughDanielle KeatleyKate MorseCaroline SekarKate Vitt

“We are devastated beyond words,” a statement from the families said. “Our focus right now is supporting our children through this incredible tragedy and honoring the lives of these extraordinary women. They were all mothers, wives and friends, all of whom connected through the love of the outdoors.”

The statement said all were “passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains.”

They lived in the San Francisco Bay area, Idaho and the Truckee-Tahoe region.

Since the avalanche, Cal/OSHA confirmed to KCRA 3 that it is conducting an investigation involving the guides employed by Blackbird Mountain Guides. While the duration of the investigation may vary, Cal/OSHA has up to six months to complete an investigation and issue citations if it finds any violations in workplace safety regulations.

Hours prior to the tragedy, the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning, which included the backcountry area the skiers were in.

The Associated Press reports that the skiers have deep ties to the alpine recreation community in Lake Tahoe, including Sugar Bowl Academy.

[related id=’70515061-2817-41f7-8dc0-d617a9e3c50a’ align=’center’ source=””][/related]

Mayor Max Perrey of Marin County’s Mill Valley, a small city about 14 miles (22 kilometers) north of San Francisco, confirmed that some in the group were women from his city. He was not able to provide additional details but told The Associated Press via email that more information would be released later.

This avalanche is the deadliest in California’s recorded history. Data from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center shows that this marks the state’s 57th fatal avalanche since 1950.

[iframe title=”Fatal avalanches in California since 1950″ aria-label=”Symbol map” id=”datawrapper-chart-9skfz” src=”https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/9skfz/1/” scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ style=”width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;” height=”785″ data-external=”1″][/iframe]City of Truckee plans vigil this weekend

Meanwhile, Truckee Mayor Anna Klovstad said the community is planning a vigil and other events for grieving, including mental health support next week.

“The picture behind me is of the Alpine meadows range. This is where I fell in love with my husband and I raised my kids on the ski slopes and on mountain bike trails,” Klovstad said. “It’s deeply personal, and I will actually say that right now what our community needs is respect and holding space for us. I know a lot of people out there are speculating and questioning why this group was out. That’s not helpful. That’s not productive for our community and we need your support now more than ever.”

The vigil will be held in downtown Truckee on Sunday evening.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel