California Castle Peak Avalanche: All 9 Victims Recovered as Blackbird Guides Face Criminal Negligence Probe
All nine victims from a 15‑person backcountry ski party caught in a massive avalanche near Castle Peak in the Sierra Nevada have been recovered, officials said Saturday; the group included 11 clients and four Blackbird Mountain Guides, six people survived, and recovery was delayed for days by storms and ongoing avalanche risk. Nevada County investigators and California workplace‑safety officials are probing whether the guides — described by their employer as certified avalanche‑safety instructors — should have proceeded after the Sierra Avalanche Center issued a watch that was upgraded to a "HIGH" danger warning amid several feet of new snow that created an unstable storm slab; Blackbird has paused field operations and opened an internal review.
📌 Key Facts
- The slide occurred Feb. 17 at Castle Peak in California’s Sierra Nevada during the return leg of a three‑day guided backcountry ski trip of 15 people (11 clients, 4 guides); the avalanche was about the size of a football field.
- All nine victims have now been recovered (eight bodies located earlier; the final victim was recovered Saturday, Feb. 21, using a Black Hawk helicopter); the party totaled 15 so there are six survivors. Authorities describe this as the deadliest U.S. avalanche since 1981.
- The Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche watch on Sunday and upgraded to a formal ‘HIGH avalanche danger’ warning the morning of Feb. 17, predicting large avalanches; 3–6 feet of new snow, subfreezing temperatures and gale‑force winds created an unstable storm slab on an older, hardened snow layer.
- Rescue and recovery were delayed and made more hazardous by ongoing storms and continued avalanche risk; rescuers initially took about six hours to reach the scene, staged standby teams to protect rescuers, and cited the principle of ‘don’t make yourself a victim’ in limiting operations until conditions allowed safe recoveries.
- Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon and investigators are probing whether any factors in the Castle Peak avalanche rise to criminal negligence and are examining why the trip proceeded after multiple forecasts and warnings; California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health has opened its own investigation. Legal experts say criminal probes in fatal guided‑avalanche cases are unusual and that waivers may not shield companies if forecasts or safety protocols were ignored.
- Blackbird Mountain Guides says all four guides on the trip were certified backcountry ski guides and avalanche‑education instructors, that one employee survived, and that the company has paused field operations and launched an internal investigation; the founder acknowledged they do not yet have all the answers.
- Families have publicly identified six of the victims — Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar and Kate Vitt — describing them as experienced, well‑equipped backcountry skiers who were mothers and active members of the Lake Tahoe ski community, including ties to Sugar Bowl Academy.
- Experts explain the accident as a meteorological phenomenon typical of the Sierra Nevada: a fresh, heavy snowfall on a transformed, hardened earlier snowpack produced a storm slab that was easily triggered; they note the highest danger is in the first 24–48 hours after very large snowfall and that standard risk‑management tools have limits in rapidly changing storms.
📰 Source Timeline (12)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 21, 2026
9:22 PM
All 9 avalanche victims recovered from California's Sierra Nevada, sheriff says
New information:
- Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said Saturday that all nine avalanche victims have now been recovered from the Sierra Nevada site.
- Eight bodies were located on Tuesday and the final victim was discovered and recovered on Saturday.
- A Black Hawk helicopter was used Saturday to reach the snowy, mountainous region and complete the recovery amid brutal weather and continued avalanche risk.
5:14 AM
Ski guides in spotlight as investigators probe deadly California avalanche
New information:
- Legal experts in California, Colorado and Utah say they have not previously seen a fatal guided-avalanche case trigger a criminal investigation, underscoring how unusual this probe is.
- Attorneys say liability waivers don’t protect guide companies if they ignored avalanche forecasts or failed to follow appropriate safety protocols or fully disclose risks to clients.
- Blackbird Mountain Guides says all four guides were certified backcountry ski guides and avalanche-education instructors, and that they remained in contact with senior staff at base about conditions and route choices.
- Lawyers identify two pivotal decision points for investigators: the choice to run a three-day trip with 11 clients during heightened avalanche risk, and the decision to ski out Tuesday after conditions worsened in a severe storm.
- It remains unclear what real-time weather and avalanche information the guides had when they chose to ski out; Nevada County authorities have not released their investigative findings.
February 20, 2026
4:06 PM
Officials probe possible criminal negligence after avalanche near Lake Tahoe
New information:
- Nevada County Sheriff’s Office says it is investigating whether any factors in the Castle Peak avalanche rise to criminal negligence.
- California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health confirms it has opened an investigation into Blackbird Mountain Guides, the company that led the trip.
- Sheriff Shannan Moon notes there were 'lots of forecasts on this storm' and questions why the trip continued after an avalanche watch Sunday and a 'HIGH avalanche danger' warning the morning of the slide.
- Authorities clarify the group composition: 11 skiers and four guides returning from a three‑day backcountry trip; all four guides were avalanche‑safety instructors.
- Officials reiterate that eight skiers’ bodies have been recovered, one skier remains missing and presumed dead, and describe the slide as the deadliest U.S. avalanche since 1981.
7:52 AM
6 mothers who 'cherished time together' among victims in avalanche near Lake Tahoe
New information:
- Families publicly identified six of the victims as Kate Vitt, Carrie Atkin, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, and sisters Caroline Sekar and Liz Clabaugh.
- Families’ joint statement describes the women as mothers, wives and friends who were seasoned, well‑trained backcountry skiers, fully equipped with avalanche safety gear and who 'cherished time together in the mountains.'
- Details on some victims’ backgrounds: Vitt was a SiriusXM/Pandora executive and mother of two in San Francisco; Clabaugh coordinated a graduate nurse residency program at St. Luke’s Health System in Boise; Sekar was a San Francisco mother of two.
- Several in the group were tied to Sugar Bowl Academy, whose executive director issued a statement calling the impact 'profound' on the tight‑knit ski community.
- Sheriff Shannan Moon reiterated that the mission has shifted from rescue to recovery and said the group was on its way back to camp when the avalanche struck.
7:25 AM
Deadly California avalanche highlights inherent risks in the backcountry
New information:
- ABC/Associated Press explicitly characterizes the incident as the deadliest U.S. avalanche in almost 45 years.
- Confirms updated toll and composition of the group: 15 skiers total, 8 dead, 1 still missing two days after the slide, 6 survivors.
- Details that it took rescuers about six hours to reach the victims after the first report, illustrating why survival chances for buried victims are low.
- Provides expert commentary that backcountry travelers commonly continue touring even in high-danger storms because of fresh snow and that repeated safe outings can create a false sense of security.
- Explains standard avalanche‑risk practices (reliance on avalanche forecasts, digging snow pits, choosing less‑steep/sheltered terrain) and notes those tools still have limits in rapidly changing conditions.
- Reinforces the rescue principle of 'don’t make yourself a victim' as the reason recovery has been slowed by ongoing storm‑driven avalanche risk.
7:01 AM
Crews hope to resume recovery of 8 bodies from California avalanche after days of dangerous weather
New information:
- Authorities now say eight people are confirmed dead and one person remains missing but presumed dead from the Castle Peak avalanche, and crews hope to resume recovery Friday after dangerous weather paused operations.
- Six of the victims have been publicly identified as experienced backcountry skiers Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar and Kate Vitt, who lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, Idaho and the Lake Tahoe area.
- Families say the six women were carrying avalanche safety equipment and were led by three guides from Blackbird Mountain Guides; two members of the women’s group survived along with four others, including a guide.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom said some of his wife's 'old family friends' were on the trip and called it 'concerning and disturbing' that experienced guides died, while local authorities and a state workplace-safety agency have opened investigations into what the guides and tour company knew about avalanche warnings and why they proceeded.
- The article notes this is the deadliest U.S. avalanche since 1981 on Mount Rainier and that avalanche warnings covering the area are set to expire early Friday as drier, milder weather arrives.
12:56 AM
California avalanche survivors tried to unbury their friends, official says
New information:
- Nevada County Undersheriff Sam Brown says surviving skiers immediately tried to unbury their buried companions and managed to dig out three people who were already dead.
- Authorities describe six survivors out of a 15‑person party (four guides and 11 clients); eight bodies have been located but not yet recovered due to ongoing storms, and a ninth skier remains missing and is presumed dead.
- Brown details that search‑and‑rescue sent in two teams from different directions and had to stage additional standby teams to rescue their own rescuers if another avalanche hit, leaving a five‑person skeleton crew on the mountain to cut a path as storms continue.
- Officials are explicitly investigating why the guided group continued its three‑day trip after a Feb. 15 avalanche watch and then an avalanche warning on the day of the slide; Blackbird says all guides were avalanche‑safety instructors.
- Families publicly identified six victims — Carrie Atkin, Liz Clabaugh, Danielle Keatley, Kate Morse, Caroline Sekar and Kate Vitt — and Sugar Bowl Academy confirmed that several were members of its ski/snowboard community.
12:49 AM
Tour company says guides on deadly ski trip were avalanche trained
New information:
- The guiding company publicly states that the guides leading the fatal Castle Peak backcountry trip were avalanche‑trained.
- CBS reiterates that at least eight skiers are confirmed dead and one remains missing after the avalanche, which was about the size of a football field.
- The segment underscores that this was a commercial guided ski trip in California’s Sierra Nevada, sharpening focus on outfitter responsibility.
February 19, 2026
6:57 PM
Skiers with roots in Lake Tahoe's alpine community among the 8 killed in California avalanche
New information:
- Confirms that eight people are dead and one remains missing from the 15‑person backcountry ski group caught in the Castle Peak avalanche, with six survivors.
- Identifies the group’s close ties to Lake Tahoe’s alpine community, including Sugar Bowl Academy, whose executive director issued a statement about victims’ connections to Sugar Bowl, Donner Summit and the backcountry community.
- Reveals that four members of the group worked for Blackbird Mountain Guides; Blackbird says one employee survived and that it has launched an internal investigation and paused all field operations through at least the coming weekend.
- Quotes Blackbird founder Zeb Blais describing the guide communications process and acknowledging that "we don't have all the answers yet, and it may be some time before we do."
- Notes that some victims were women from Mill Valley, California, and that one victim was married to a local backcountry search‑and‑rescue team member, underscoring the impact on regional rescue and ski communities.
- States that the Sierra Avalanche Center’s watch was upgraded to a formal avalanche warning by 5 a.m. Tuesday, but it remains unclear if guides knew about the change before beginning their return trek.
6:49 PM
How a snow drought helped set the stage for deadly California avalanche
New information:
- Explains that a weeks‑long 'snow drought' left an older snow layer hardened and metamorphosed; several feet of new snow then fell on top, forming an unstable storm slab that was easily triggered.
- Meteorologist Craig Clements says the danger is highest in the first 24–48 hours after very large snowfall, that the layers had not bonded, and that consistent snowfall earlier in winter could have produced a more stable snowpack.
- Experts and Clements state this avalanche is typical for the Sierra Nevada and characterize it as a meteorological, not a climate‑change, phenomenon, saying it cannot be directly linked to climate change.
- Confirms 3–6 feet of new snow had fallen since Sunday when the group started its trip, with subfreezing temperatures and gale‑force winds, and that the Sierra Avalanche Center had issued explicit avalanche warnings.
- Notes Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said investigators will examine the decision to proceed with the three‑day guided backcountry trek given the storm forecast and warnings.
4:49 PM
Questions over why ski group stayed on trip after avalanche watch issued
New information:
- Confirms the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche watch on Sunday warning of 'very dangerous avalanche conditions' and anticipating HIGH avalanche danger from Monday evening through at least Tuesday night.
- Details that an avalanche warning explicitly stating 'HIGH avalanche danger exists in the backcountry' and predicting 'large' avalanches was issued on the morning of Feb. 17, the day of the incident, and then extended to Friday.
- Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon says investigators are in active discussions with the guide company about why the trip continued despite those forecasts and what decision factors the company used.
- Capt. Russel Greene describes eyewitness accounts that someone yelled 'avalanche!' just before a football-field-sized slab broke loose and overtook the party.
- Rescuers say recovery of the dead and the still-missing skier is delayed because ongoing storms and continued avalanche threat make the site too dangerous to access.