California Castle Peak Avalanche That Killed 8 Is Deadliest in State History as 1 Skier Remains Missing
An avalanche near Castle Peak/Frog Lake in Nevada County amid a major Sierra storm killed eight people — officials said it is the deadliest avalanche in California history — and left at least one skier missing while several others were rescued or sheltering as crews worked to reach them. The backcountry party, on a three‑day hut trip and reported to include four Blackbird Mountain guides and roughly 11–12 clients (with some ties to Sugar Bowl Academy), was caught as days of heavy snow, gale‑force winds and an avalanche warning created an unstable snowpack and prompted large‑scale search‑and‑rescue operations.
📌 Key Facts
- An avalanche struck the Castle Peak / Frog Lake area near Truckee / Donner Summit in Nevada County on Tuesday around 11:30 a.m. during a major winter storm.
- Authorities later confirmed the party consisted of 15 backcountry skiers — four Blackbird Mountain Guides and 11 clients — with eight killed, six survivors, and one skier still missing (earlier reports gave different counts, including an initial 16-person figure).
- Six survivors were located, are in contact with rescuers and were told to shelter in place while teams work to physically reach and extract them.
- Search and rescue assets deployed include Nevada County SAR, Boreal Mountain rescue ski teams, Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center teams, a SnoCat from Alder Creek and roughly 46 emergency responders in the operation.
- The group had been on a three-day backcountry hut trip that began Sunday, stayed in Frog Lake huts owned by the Truckee Donner Land Trust, and multiple victims had strong ties to Sugar Bowl Academy and the local Donner Summit/backcountry community.
- Avalanche conditions were extreme: the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche watch Sunday and a high avalanche warning for the Central Sierra; the storm delivered roughly 3–6 feet of new snow in places (about 30 inches in Soda Springs in 24 hours), gale‑force winds, subfreezing temperatures and near‑zero visibility.
- Experts said a preceding weeks‑long 'snow drought' produced an old, hardened layer that transformed into weak crystals, and the event involved a storm slab that easily triggered 24–48 hours after heavy snowfall — creating unusually unstable and unpredictable snowpack.
- Blackbird Mountain Guides paused field operations at least through the weekend, saying its guides were AIARE‑trained/certified and had been communicating about conditions and routing.
- Officials called the Castle Peak/Frog Lake avalanche that killed eight the deadliest avalanche in California history and the deadliest U.S. avalanche since a fatal Mount Rainier event in 1981; the same storm caused highway closures (I‑80 and Highway 50 at the summit) and forced some resorts, including Boreal, to suspend operations.
📰 Source Timeline (8)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 19, 2026
12:41 PM
California avalanche that killed 8 is deadliest in state history
New information:
- Officials now say the Castle Peak/Frog Lake avalanche that killed eight skiers is the deadliest avalanche in California history and the deadliest U.S. avalanche since an 11‑fatality event on Mount Rainier in 1981.
- Authorities confirm the group consisted of 15 skiers (four Blackbird Mountain Guides and 11 clients), with six survivors and one skier still missing.
- Blackbird Mountain Guides says its field operations are paused at least through the weekend and emphasizes that the guides were AIARE‑trained or certified and in communication with senior guides about conditions and routing.
- Sugar Bowl Academy confirms that multiple victims had 'strong connections' to its ski program and the Donner Summit/backcountry community, though names have not yet been released.
8:21 AM
Snow drought helped set the stage for deadly California avalanche, leading to unstable conditions
New information:
- Experts say a weeks‑long 'snow drought' in the Sierra Nevada preceded the storm, allowing the old snow layer to harden and metamorphose into weak crystals that did not bond with 3–6 feet of new snow.
- Meteorologist and avalanche researcher Craig Clements explains that the event involved a storm slab forming over a weaker layer, making the slope easily triggered in the 24–48 hours after heavy snowfall.
- The Sierra Avalanche Center had issued an avalanche watch at 6:49 a.m. Sunday, warning that large slides were likely in the next 24–48 hours as the group began its three‑day hut trip.
- Authorities note subfreezing temperatures, gale‑force winds, and 3–6 feet of new snow since Sunday further destabilized the snowpack, leaving it 'unstable and unpredictable' as of Wednesday.
- Clements states he does not see this particular avalanche as clearly linked to climate change, calling it a 'meteorological phenomenon, not a climate phenomenon,' despite broader climate‑driven extremes.
4:58 AM
Sugar Bowl Academy Says Multiple Victims Were Tied to Its Ski Resort School
New information:
- Sugar Bowl Academy said multiple victims in the Castle Peak avalanche had ties to its private ski‑focused school in nearby Norden, California.
- The school confirmed the group was on a three‑day backcountry expedition that began Sunday and included four guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides, with only six of 15 skiers known to have survived.
- The party stayed in Frog Lake huts owned by the Truckee Donner Land Trust, and Mill Valley Mayor Max Perrey said some clients, including at least one of those killed, were mothers from his Bay Area town.
February 18, 2026
2:02 AM
Ten Skiers Missing, Six Stranded After Northern California Avalanche
New information:
- Confirms the party consisted of four ski guides and 12 clients, for a total of 16 backcountry skiers.
- Reiterates that at least six members of the group remain stranded and are awaiting rescue, not yet brought out.
- Places the incident specifically in the Truckee, California, area while tying it to heavy snow inundating Lake Tahoe.
1:20 AM
Ten skiers unaccounted for after California avalanche
New information:
- Confirms that all 16 people involved were skiers, not a mixed group of other backcountry travelers.
- Reiterates that 10 skiers remain unaccounted for while six are awaiting rescue, underscoring that those six are alive and in contact with rescuers.
- Frames the situation explicitly as an ongoing rescue of 'a group of 16 skiers who encountered an avalanche Tuesday in California,' reinforcing timing and group composition.
12:41 AM
6 backcountry skiers rescued alive, 10 missing after California avalanche, authorities say
New information:
- Clarifies that the 16‑person group consisted of four ski guides and 12 clients.
- Specifies that 46 emergency first responders are deployed in the search and are still trying to physically reach the six located survivors.
- Details that the six located skiers have been told to shelter in place 'as best they can' while rescue teams work toward them.
- Adds on‑the‑record explanation from Tahoe National Forest lead avalanche forecaster Brandon Schwartz about why backcountry risk is 'particularly dangerous' at the height of the storm.
- Provides additional context on recent snowfall amounts near the site (about 30 inches in Soda Springs in 24 hours) and forecast totals up to 8 feet on the western Sierra slope and parts of the Coast Range.
12:38 AM
10 skiers still missing in California after avalanche near Castle Peak in Nevada County
New information:
- Confirms that 16 people were in the backcountry group: four ski guides and 12 clients.
- States that six skiers survived the avalanche and are awaiting rescue on site, while 10 remain unaccounted for.
- Pins the avalanche report time to around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday and notes that I‑80 and Highway 50 are closed at the summit due to the same storm.
- Details the rescue assets deployed: Nevada County SAR, Boreal Mountain rescue ski teams, Tahoe Donner’s Alder Creek Adventure Center teams, and a SnoCat launched from Alder Creek.
- Notes that the Sierra Avalanche Center has a 'high' Avalanche Warning in effect across the Central Sierra through 5 a.m. Wednesday, and that some nearby ski resorts, including Boreal, have suspended operations because of high winds and zero visibility.
February 17, 2026